The UIP application block for .NET is a license free, easy to use framework for developing both web and win apps. Haven't read the guide yet but it seems to be great help for companies and developers that haven't got a broad code base or defined practices. It offers a solution based on best practices and industry accepted patterns.
Really, really worth a look!

Check it out here.

A few pointers:
- Good example of a Visual Studio 2005 new feature: Code Snipplets. Much like Live templates in IntelliJ IDEA or templates in JBuilder.
- Jonathan Shwatrz from Sun about Sun's new pricing policy.
- Noticed that Windows Media Player 10 beta is released.

I've been reading lot's of stuff about the new Visual Studio 2005. It will support efficient code formatting, refactoring and unit testing automation among other things.
One of the features I saw at DevDays here in Portugal was a class modeler, much like Borland Together that connects modeling and coding bidirectionally. This integration is much appreciated from my part.

However, the big news is the so called Visual Studio Team System. It's a set of tools and multi-view IDE for different roles of a team that is used in the entire process cycle. This means that, for example, an architect designs the classes, the developer imediately has access to them - integrates with VSS - and the tester can test the classes as soon as they are done.
It has different views of the IDE, depending upon the user's role: Architect, Developer, Project Manager or Tester.

You can read more at the official website. Here is a bunch of related links.
The Visual Studio Team System team runs a blog here.

Celestia is an open-source project that simulates the behaviour of our know Universe.

The program is based on real data and behaves according with real parameters so the movements are quite spectacular. You can just run around the galaxy, follow your favorite planet then hop to the nearest galaxy.

Just download it and run the demo to see what you can do. It also accepts scripts for all sort of things.

Get it from the project's homepage.

I read somewhere this interesting idea: "Why not ask european union candidates about software patents?"

In Portugal thought exchange is getting near the absolute zero. I have not heard politicians talk about software patents or about the EU Constitution or about imigration policies .... nothing. It all boils down to transforming this elections into an oportunity to evaluate the internal work of the government.
Why do the comunists continue to challenge the Union's agricole policy and don't show people the good work they've done in the european parliament during the last period?

It's ridiculous.

The number is 2^24036583 - 1

8)

Geronimo is the Apache Foundation J2EE container project. From it's embryonic state some controversy has surrounded this project due to the conflict with JBoss for alleged copied source code.
The rationale behind this new and now official project is to provide a standards compliant j2EE Container with a BSD like license witch they feel is a gap in availlable offers today. They are obviously working towards gaining Sun's J2EE certification.

Anyway, very good news! I only wished I had more time to be involved in a project like this.

Check the project's page.

Java 1.5 b2 has been released . The new fweatures can be checked here

You can download the not so small package for here:
Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 1.5.0 Beta 2