I decided it was finally time for a new laptop, so I shopped around for a couple of weeks and finally decided on a Dell Latitude D620 machine. It seems like it’s still pretty tough to find a decent video card in a laptop, so that’s the part I struggled with the most.
Here are the specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200, 2.00GHz, 667Mhz 4M L2 Cache, Dual Core
14.1 inch Wide Screen WXGA+ LCD
2.0GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM
256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M TurboCache
100GB Hard Drive 9.5MM 7200RPM
Integrated A/B/G Wireless and Bluetooth Module
So far, I’m VERY happy with this thing. It came with Windows XP Pro installed, but as soon it showed up I flattened it and installed Windows Vista RC2. The machine is very responsive, fairly durable, and pretty light at just under 5 lbs.
I just finished installing Visual Studio 2005 and the Media Center SDK, and I’m pretty excited to continue working on my MCML application with this new machine.
I recently took and passed the Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) exam. Because we use alot of Java at work, I wanted to see what the test was like. In the process, I learned alot of stuff about the Java language, especially some of the new features that are in Java 5.
I scored an 87% on the exam. While the test didn’t tell you which questions you got wrong, it was broken out by category:
91% – Declarations, Initialization and Scoping
100% – Flow Control
90% – API Contents
87% – Concurrency
80% – OO Concepts
70% – Collections/Generics
90% – Fundamentals
To study for the exam, I purchased the book: “SCJP Sun Certified Programmer for Java 5 Study Guide“. This book was awesome! It told me everything I needed to know for the exam, and was actually pretty fun to read.
All in all, I was pretty happy with the difficulty of the test and the amount that I learned while studying. I think it was a worthwhile use of the money and time.
Back in October, I presented a session at Desert Code Camp about Windows Vista Media Center Development. I have just uploaded the presentation materials to my website, and will add them to AZGroups when the forums become available there.
Windows Vista Media Center Development Presentation Materials
I also uploaded the PowerPoint slides from my previous Code Camp sessions in May:
Developing a Background Add-In for Windows Media Center
Developing a Hosted HTML Application for Windows Media Center
