These are my notes on the Hosting the CLR Panel. I will try to arrange them and make them more readable later on.

   On the panel, Mahesh Prakriya, Chris Brumme, Sean Trowbridge, Chris Brown, Dimitry Robsman(ASPNet), Jose Blakeley(SQL), Mark Alcazar (Longhorn), and Thomas Quinn from Microsoft, and Andrew Murchinson from IBM (DB2).

  
Q : Chris brown, What is the hosting API ?
A : First, the original hosting environment had 11 pages to describe the APIs, the whidbey one is 106 pages long. It is made of  COM interfaces to change the threading model, memory allocation, synchronization primitives, and other extensions to the regular interoperability methods ...

Q : Is IBM thinking of using an alternative implementation of CLR on its alternative plateform ?
IBM : The initial implementation is only for NT and thus will use the Microsoft Runtime. On next versions, We are thinking about Mono ...

Q : overhead on memory ?
A : overhead of several megs, ASPNET first app domain about 10 Mb on empty, subsequent around 1Mb ... Loader optimization to balance perf and overhead (single domain/multi app domains)

Q: Rule of thumb ?
A: single domain is faster for static, initialization ... multi domain, costs related to sharing and preventing side effects. Trying to make that better in whidbey.

Q: hosting 1.0 CLR. some client tried to use 1.1, and had problems. How to prepare for compatibility
A: office way, not have the config file (Clr version) makes the latest version load
   in SQL, ASPNet, DB2 biding to the specific version for stability and dynamically choosing the version to load

Q: SP calling an object defined on the host (ex: reporting services, write a formula in .Net, calling a ref to an object exposed by the host) ?
A: SQL, is value based.
   Fragments of the user code :
 - state

Q: programming model for SQL is limited. programming models in the particular hosting scenarios will be different ?
A: hoping others will behave

Q: something like CLS ? or informal guidelines ?
A: not aware of any attempts to standardization.

Q: unamaged code hosting the CLR
A: if it is just to deal with memory pressure, GC ... large amounts of unmanged, relating to some managed objects, inside whidbey it is possible to link those to GC
Q: How about synchronization ?
A: depends on the level at which the sync is needed

Q: Rule engine
A: reflexion emit, use compiler and load the class from file. what level ? a compiler, higher level language, persistant store (laughs) ... like Store procedure or user defined functions. light weight code generation APIs if no meta Data.

Q: legacy Win32 app. Host CLR and start using managed ?
A: COM Interop ... or IJW - if multi-app domains, then maybe to think about it.

Q: Licensing issue for hosting the CLR
A: none.
Q: ISV doing it ?
A: will not speculate.

Q: created a managed COM object, and make it not appear in the default app domain (VS calling the add in)
A: Threading models issues... launch app domain, and call from it ... obviously no good answer (just inventive ideas). in the longhorn timeframe might be solved
Q: in office, is it one runtime per process ?
A: one runtime per process
Q: hosting API is not part of CLI
A: should it be ?

Q: hosting vs MCpp
A: com interop vs MCpp, MCpp is less cosly
   hosting ? don't know exactely, but MCpp would look the way to go for less costs

Q: 120 pages can be scary
A: that stuff is used by SQL, not necessary to use all the interfaces

the v1 is what most apps will need.

hosting is really about extensibility and tuning how the runtime is used ...

DB2 created own class loader.

Q: ASPNet in addition to hosting CLR, has its hosting APIs.
A: app domains conveniently ...

Q: upgrading from 1.0 to 1.1 cused problems (regiis to get it back to old version)
A: taking it seriously, do not upgrade ...

Q: loading an assembly, what SQL does, what steps at creation, what steps at loading -is there NGEN
A: store user asemblies in the database. prefer to load from DB except those in GAC. intercept reference resolving and go get the assemblies (detach from database, attach somexhere else ...), CAS, well behaved and no conflicting parallel executions. At runtime, rely on runtime checks.NGEN not used (restriction to file system assemblies, ...

   DB2 looks up asemblies in the file system.

Q: Porting to managed or hosting
A: SQL millions of lignes of unmanaged, impossible to upgrade in short or midterm. hosting gives the exetensibility needed.

Q: different localization processes ?
A: match locale of the DB

Q: CLR GC control. objects that are machine wide shared.
A: CLR self tunning. hosting can control GC. machine wide shared not feasible.

Q: serevr vs workstation CLR
A: workload.if MT, server can add perf. Workstation useful in uniproc.

11/3/2003 12:38:08 PM UTC    Comments [0] 

A meeting of all pdc bloggers will take place at the a party in Universal studios. I got this from Scott hanselman's blog :

PDC - ATTENTION ALL BLOGGERS! MEETING AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TONIGHT!

Yo!  There's a meeting at the Hollywood Grill inside of Universal Studios tonight at 8PM!  Check out the map of Universal.  We'll be meeting at #19 on the map, close to the entrance.  Pass it on!

10/29/2003 11:06:32 PM UTC    Comments [0] 

   I am telling you, don't you ever think that avalon, or WinFS is the big thing happening at pdc ... I don't want to discuss Yukon at this time of the night, but the big thing here is : INDIGO ... the blue and quiet new communication layer, that really ends the reign of COM, and of the objects everywhere model as well.

   Well, I saw the light (metaphorically off course, for this same light has been with me for many years now), and it was coming from Don Box's speech on Indigo. I don't use session or presentation, because it was a speech, full of enlightening thoughts, and it was a session of evangelization if I ever saw one.

   What object is about, what messages are about, what the value of message based architectures is (SOA- service oriented architecture if you prefer to call it so), and how SOA actually works  ... thank you Don.

   What amzes me is that so many people understood the value of the talk ... or at least so many of them where there, until there was no more free chairs, no more empty space on the floor, and the corridor was no longer walkable ... great job Don.

   The thing about don Box as an MSFT employee is that he has much less freedom to express his opinions in his natural words for them, but he found a way to speak them differently ... Keep going Don ...

   Then, when it is all about SOA, and the only speaker in this pdc that is clearly speaking the extent and value of it is Don ... Hail Don, Hurray ...

10/29/2003 9:34:16 AM UTC    Comments [0] 

   Do you know what the .Net Rocks is ? if you don't, click on this link quickly ....

   Well, imagine a .Net Rocks show, right from a session room in the LA Convention Center, during the very first day of pdc (actually on pre-conference day), with a panel made of an amazing selection of RDs, and with great Xbox gifts for attendees ...

   How ? just put an attendee on the alley, give him the microphone, and make him guess whether the nswer given by the RD is true or false.

   I never realized how fun many very serious RDs can be until today ... What are Web Services ? Michelle Leroux Bustamente would say : "it's like Teen Sex, those who talk about about it don't do it and those doing it don't talk about it"... "what the most significant difference between interop in C# qnd in C++", Kate Gregory would say that it is in the way you do DllImports!!!". How deo you access pivate members of a class? I don't remeber scott hanselmans exact wording, but it goes like " you buy him a drink...",  off course, it end up with th RD giving the right answer (except a couple times), and the attendee going home very happy.

   I'll be posting some pictures of the show and of the panel when I get those pictures printed and scanned (well, I use my smart phone for many things including my agenda and emails, I use almost no paper, but I still love using my Canon Eos camera with lenses and zoom covering a 35-210 mm focal distance... call me traditional or outdated on that, I don't mind at all)

   if you have been at a pre-conference day before, you know you dont have the feeling that the conference is there ... well, carl just made it happen ...

   thank you carl.

10/27/2003 10:42:23 AM UTC    Comments [1] 

   Jeff Sandquist  has sent me a bdc bloggers T-Shirt. It has "I'm blogging this" on the front, and a nice "Microsoft PDC03 I was there" logo on the back. Thanks Jeff.

   I guess this will give some visibility to bloggers among attendees ... too bad the pdcbloggers Url is not on the shirt ...

   One of my collaborators at the office just made me realize I have been receiving so many     T-Shirts that I just don't buy clothing anymore ... Thanks a lot everyone ...

10/20/2003 10:53:55 AM UTC    Comments [0] 

If you see this logo on someone at PDC, he is one of the many RDs attending (I would guess there should be around 70 or 80 of us), speaking, participating in a panel, hosting BOF sessions, monitoring the labs, doing Ask the Experts booth duties... outside the conference center, more probably than not around sunset or holywood boulevard at night, you can find many of us (without the badges this time) ...

Who are we ? you can look us up at our web site at http://www.microsoftregionaldirectors.com/Public/ .

We are about 120 independent developers, architects, trainers, consultants and other professionals from all around the world, very informed about Microsoft technologies (usually also about other thecnologies as well). We usually can give you informed opinions, based on real world experience and balaced views about Microsoft technologies away from hype or dog food.

See you there ...

10/15/2003 1:43:37 PM UTC    Comments [0] 

This year, not only PDC is great in including three huge new technologies, but also in its special sessions. One of the new formats is the Birds Of a Feather sessions. These are attendee hosted (any attendee can propose a session, and the sessions are aproved based on a vote by attendees).

The format of these sessions is really interesting, because it is a one hour, almost unstructured (close to chalk talk format) discussions between attendees. My guess is that we will see lots of humor take place, and much less dog food than we would in any other sessions.

Looking at the aproved topics, it is interesting to see that they globally three kinds :

1. Real Life experience and concerns with .Net (present and future). These really are concerned by the topics that are not technology topics, and that one would never expect or trust Microsofties to cover.
2. Alternate or deeper looks at technologies than one would not expect in regular sessions. These cover things like Rotor (CLI) development, using .Net with Oracle, Alternate programming languages, business intelligence with .Net, Palldium ...etc.
3. Totally non technical, usally very different approche to developer concerns, like Women who code (I don't hide I will not miss that one, since most women attendees will be there ...), Reader to Author to Publisher for .NET (books on .Net), Weblogging: The Future of Conversational Software ...etc.

I will be hosting a BOF on Office system and integrating with business process (I just noticed my topic was aproved!). See you there ...

10/15/2003 12:56:57 PM UTC    Comments [0] 

The PDC Panels are great in that is has no prepared marketing dog food (no PPTs allowed). It is about Microsofties answering your technical questions. PDC bloggers will cover the various panels, and gives you even an opportunity to ask your questions before hand (even if you are not a PDC attendee).

I will be covering two panels :

1. Put The Power Inside: Hosting the CLR in Your Application - 10:30:00 AM - Room501ABC

2. Computing on the Beach: Visions of Mobility - 1:45 PM - Room 411-Theater

All panels are on the PDC's last day (Thursday Oct 30).

10/15/2003 11:48:56 AM UTC    Comments [0] 

   Last PDC was in LA. If it was not one of the greatest, and if there was no PDC in 2002, it is because a PDC is and should be about technology, and there were no totally new one at the time ... This year, not only there is a new technology, there are many of them (Indigo, Longhorn, Yukon, ...).

   The number of attendees also seems to be one of the greatest (already overbooked, and registration closing on Monday, hurry up if you haven't registered yet!). I go to many conferences regularly (at least 3-4 per year in the US, many events in my region - i.e. North Africa), and I always come bqack with the opinion that what makes a conference great is both its content and the general atmosphere, parties and fun going on in it. This PDC will be a blast ... See you there.

10/11/2003 4:22:17 PM UTC    Comments [10]