LINQ isn't only about connecting to a database or just one ORM among others. Just learning to use LINQ to Objects effectively is very powerful. I think that learning LINQ is important if one wants to be efficient with C# or VB.NET. I'm sure that the importance of the LINQ will grow in coming versions of .NET.

Btw, one example how powerful LINQ is: Raytracer built with a single LINQ-query: http://blogs.msdn.com/lukeh/archive/2007/10/01/taking-linq-to-objects-to-extremes-a-fully-linqified-raytracer.aspx (Not very efficient, but shows the expressiveness)

Easier to read full screen: http://www.evangelistech.com/xpsviewer/

Maybe they are trying to kill Google with laughter? ;)

Anyway, I recently read that 1% of the search market is worth one billion $, so can't blame them for trying to get even a slice.

See also this test page:
http://www.picturespice.com/ps/Polyhedra/ClientBin/TestPage.html

@gavin: rules are rules... enjoy DNK before somebody bans you ;)

Not really new to me, but very well explained :)

Published in 3...2...1...

Srsly, great new features :)

"Please select all the lolcat photos"

I couldn't comment in your blog, so I'll do it in here:

I think the var was put in C# 3.0 primarily to support LINQ-queries that return anonymous types. In LINQ you can return any kind of objects with variable amount of columns or properties (defined in the select-part).

This ScottGu's article explains it well from the LINQ-perspective, too:
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2007/05/15/new-orcas-language-feature-anonymous-types.aspx

And it would be too clever not to dupe-post ;)

Besides, it is a very good database product for basic needs. I'd choose it over MySQL anyday and upgrade to SQL Server, when needed...

Direct Link:
https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=BCE7684A-507B-4FC6-BC99-6933CD690CAB&displaylang=en

@robconery:
I think it is fine if people submit their own posts here, as long as the content has some value.
I have found many valuable postings and blogs from people who have submitted their own posts here. If the content is not worth sharing or returning to, I just won't kick it.

What I don't like is when some people abuse this community and make items published with zombie accounts or some other networks. They rarely kick or submit anything but their own stories and often have some blog filled with advertisements etc.

(ps. this was just a general reply about kicking own posts here, I don't have any strong opinion about EF, ES or the poster of this story ;)

Interesting, but not really related to this site...

@yesthatmcgurk

Greg explained that in his comment: http://blogs.msdn.com/greg_schechter/archive/2008/05/12/gpu-accelerated-custom-effects-for-wpf.aspx#8501940

"Note that the above is *only* about out-of-process magnification. When you do zooming (via scaling) within your own WPF application, the rendering continues to be re-rasterized at the higher scale, so everything remains smooth in that most common scenario. This change is strictly about using the external magnifier."

Er... the link points to "localhost"... :o