FYI: A Few Notes and One Question (from Scripting Newswire by the MSScripting Guys)

This e-mail that the Microsoft's "Scripting Guys" just sent out contains a lot
of useful information.

Also, if TechNet Tools Center becomes a reality, it is a step in the right
direction for MS command line tools...


Subject: Scripting Newswire: A Few Notes and One Question

<quote>

Hey all. First a few quick notes, and then a question.

This Thursday, from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM Pacific time, the Scripting Guys will
be presenting another Webcast, this one showing you how to create your own HTAs
(Hypertext Applications). We asked you guys which topic you'd like to see us
cover in our next Webcast, you voted for Creating HTAs, and we're actually
doing what you, our customers, asked us to do.

And, yes, we really DO work for Microsoft.

At any rate, to pre-register for the Webcast, point your browser here:

http://support.microsoft.com/defaul...ail.aspx?EventID=1032236668&amp;Culture=en-US

To go along with the Webcast, we've created a .zip file containing the slides,
the sample HTAs, and a couple other extra goodies. If you're planning to listen
in we highly recommend that you download the .zip file; that way, you'll be
able to follow along at home. And even if you're not planning to listen in, you
might find the ,zip file useful anyway; after all, it does have a lot of
samples, and it does have -- drumroll, please -- the HTA Helpomatic, a nifty
little utility that can help you get started along the path to becoming a
world-famous HTA writer. Regardless, you'll soon be able to find
Creating_HTAS.zip here:

http://groups.msn.com/scriptingguyswebcasts/documents.msnw

(In fact, by the time you get this message, it should already be there.)

Also, we should point you to a brand-new Tales from the Script column, this one
talking about how scripting can actually help you make your computers MORE
secure:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/columns/scripts/sg1103.asp

And, finally, if you haven't already discovered it, there's a new Help file
jam-packed with all the Script Center scripts, a Help file that can be
downloaded from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FamilyID=B4CB2678-DAFB-4E30-B2DA-B8814FE2DA5A

To tell you the truth, this is a much nicer way to find scripts than by using
the Script Center itself. It's organized a bit better, and it has a full-text
search as well. Definitely worth taking a minute or two to download it (I think
it's 1.6 megabytes in size, something like that).

What's that? How come we don't just add new categories and a full-text search
to the Script Center? Boy, you guys don't know much about how Microsoft works,
do you?

Actually, we're working on that. But these things definitely take time here.

And now for the question. A proposal has been made to create a TechNet Tools
Center. This would be roughly akin to the Script Center, except it would be
focused on all the command line tools Microsoft has ever created. (Well, at
least those from NT 4.0 on anyway.) Details are still being debated, but most
likely the Tools Center would include:

* Some nicely-indexed method for finding a tool that performs a particular
task.
* All the documentation for all the tools gathered in one place.
* Updates to tools and tool documentation.
* The ability to download tools individually. (Right now, for example, you can
download the Windows 2003 Resource Kit tools, but you have to download and
install the entire set of tools, even if you only want one.)

At any rate, that's the idea. So what's my question? Well, as is typically the
case here, some people think this is a really good idea and something customers
will love, other people think it's a really bad idea and something customers
will hate. Seeing as how most of you ARE customers, we decided to quit arguing
about what we THINK customers will or will not like, and just ask you straight
out: Would you be interested in seeing a Tools Center on TechNet? Would you be
likely to patronize the Tools Center? Do you have any suggestions for things
you think absolutely MUST be in such a Center?

If you have any thoughts on the matter (or just want to reply with a YES or
NO), I'd love to hear from you. I'll collect responses for a week or two, and
then forward them on to the powers that be. And, I'll keep you all posted on
the consensus.

Thanks, guys. Like I said, if you have any thoughts at all on the matter, I'd
love to hear them.

Greg Stemp
Microsoft Scripting Guy

</quote>

Send an e-mail to e.g. (with ref. to Greg Stemp) if you
want to give some feedback on the above (if you subscribe to the Scripting
Newswire, you will have Greg Stemp's e-mail address as well)...

 

Incredible! Next thing you know we'll be sitting round the table with
the ECMA and W3C.

It depends on what's stopping it? Political or technical? If it's
technical, I can't see the problem, unless it's something to do with
clustering and load-balancing?

Yes, I like this. One thing I find annoying about "technet" vs "tools"
vs "MSDN", is that not all the info is searchable in one place. It's
like you can fire up MSDN with all 3 CDs, and do a search on "showgrps"
only to find the refs are not there. You then have to rumage around for
some obscure CHM file to get the reskit syntax.

 

Political, no doubt about it...

 

... it's almost a FrontPage Express replacement



Seen better an application from you Jean.

"onpropertychange"

 

" http://groups.msn.com/scriptingguyswebcasts/documents.msnw "

became

http://login.passport.net/uilogin.srf?id=24002

================

 

LOL!

 

I can't stand that passport thing! I even had to write to the EU about
it some months back.