Regardless of what type of data you're working with or what kind of application you're creating, you will undoubtedly need to work with strings. No matter how the data is stored, the end user always deals in human-readable text. As such, knowing how to work with strings is part of the essential knowledge that any .NET developer needs to make rich and compelling applications. In addition to showing you how to work with strings in the .NET Framework, this chapter will also introduce you to regular expressions. Also, Jeff Cogswell explains how to use regular expressions to simplify and enhance the power of your programmatic string searching, matching, and replacing.

"Millions of Windows users run the OS with an administrator account because Microsoft's never made it easy to do anything different. In fact, you have to work a lot harder to run with fewer rights. Microsoft will push Vista as the solution to the ever-increasing number and ingenuity of attacks. But why wait? With our five strategies, you can give Windows XP a taste of Vista's UAC protection."

"With all the buzz around thin clients, Microsoft execs are trying to find targets for thicker installations of Windows Vista. Maybe they should take a look at how Apple has executed on its thick computing strategy, and the resulting bonanza of upgrade sales."

SymphonyOS, one of the more refreshing Linux distributions, is in trouble, since its lead developer is in financial troubles. "Core symphony development is currently stalled as I am without electricity in my apartment. I need to raise some money this week in order to have electric restored and cover some expenses. Project donations are greatly appreciated and any referral for paying projects are greatly appreciated as well. I have really big plans for symphony in the near future that will hopefully blow some larger distros out of the water. I cant wait to share them all with you."

Cnet did an interesting comparison: Samsung's recently released UMPC, vs. the... Apple Newton. "Fans will tell you that the Apple Newton was years ahead of its time. Ten years on we're going to put that claim to the test. We're pitting a vintage Apple Newton against the brand-new Samsung Q1 ultra-mobile PC in a head-to-head battle." What's more suprising is the winner, however.

Intel officially closed the books on the Pentium era on Thursday with the Core 2 Duo, its most important product launch in 13 years. Two classes of Core 2 Duo processors were released Thursday. PCs based on the Core Extreme processor are available immediately. However, 'Extreme' is an appropriate description for both the performance and price of those systems, and they are only appropriate for the deep-pocketed performance-starved user. Mainstream systems at more affordable prices will start to appear in early August, Intel CEO said.