load of Tosh

• Choice of language / technology - language bigots will argue the merits of one language over another, but a good developer should have no trouble learning a new language.  For the founder, it's more important to understand what technology or language is most appropriate for your business.  Are you a PHP shop, .NET, J2EE or something else?  What can you afford?  What kind of developers are you likely to attract in your regional talent pool?  Once you start coding it's hard to switch to another language so choose carefully.
• Coding guidelines - most developers have a preferred coding style and most times no two are alike.  Once you have more than one dev in a code-base one person's style will begin to annoy the other.  To avoid bugs due to an over-zealous dev reformatting code that he doesn't need to touch, come up with and agree to a set of coding guidelines that detail coding style, best practices and naming.  Be hard-core about rejecting code that was not written to the "standard".  It won't take long for your developers to write to the new guidelines and start to love them.  If you're writing .NET code, run FxCop.
• Code reviews - if you have more than one developer on your team, start requiring code-reviews before each check-in.  Knowing that one has to present one's code to another developer forces one to really review it first, comment it and make it robust.  Another set of eyes on the code will help find bugs earlier and your devs will learn more from each other if there's an opportunity to give feedback before check-in.
• Build a resource manager - you may think today you'll only need one UI language, but the day may come when you want to localize and pulling out hard-coded strings and re-writing parts of functions that build display strings by concatenation is a pain in neck later.  It's easy to create a resource manager.  Take the time to do it in the beginning.
• Script Versioning - keep in mind when running a web site, you will be pushing new builds to the server all the time.  This means that you need a versioning scheme for cached resources like scripts, css and images.  Take the time in the beginning to make your URLs versionable.  One way is simply to put your files in a folder named after the version you are on, i.e. http://domain/[version]/scripts.  Update the version number in the paths and the browser will seek them from the server and not the cache.

• Engine seems fast and smooth. 
• Smoothest automatic I have ever driven. 
• 215 horsepower and 6 speed transmission is noticeably nimbler than the 170 hp 2000 323i.
• Bluetooth bonded just fine with the Nokia 6680.  It would not bond to the HTC-MS smartphone.
• Using the phone through the car's system is fantastic.  Perhaps the best feature next to the engine.  One can answer the phone from the steering wheel.  Radio automatically mutes.  One can browse one's phone's address book on the radio display and dial from the steering wheel.
• I thought heated seats would be a waste in the mild winter of Seattle.  However, I can definitely appreciate them as a therapeutic aid for an intermittently bad back.
• Cup holders are mounted to the dash like in newer Audi and Volkswagen models.  I am convinced a grande Starbucks mocha is going to burn somebody, but initial tests prove extremely stable.  :)
• Steptronic transmission is a feature that is nice to know it's there, but I don't think I will have a need to use it as the automatic shifts really nicely already.  More testing needed however.
• The "latch" system is hard to use.  It's difficult to dig into the seat cushion to find the hooks to attach the child seat to.  The car we test drove had little plastic flaps which flipped up to reveal the hooks, but our's does not.

Week two is gone and I remain excited as week one about my new co.  Here are some highlights:

• Meeting Brad Chase (ex. MS Senior VP and also a basketballer)
• Getting to know my co-workers better over beer at the Palace Kitchen (Jeff recommends the $12 hamburger)
• Morning Starbucks at an actual Starbucks (none of that Eurest cafeteria stuff)
• The Dahlia Bakery's oatmeal and apricot cookie
• And the feeling that my newbie cluelessness has faded a little with regard to what's what in the code base

• Working downtown in a small office
• Getting to know the people I work with
• My new Dell Inspiron 6000 widescreen laptop
• My new Nokia 6620
• Our team lunch at the Dahlia Lounge
• Mochas at Top Pot doughnut shop
• Getting upgraded to the Nokia 6680

LifeHacker has pointers to Vista screenshots over at MS.com and ActiveWin.com.  Right now Longhorn seems the right word.  Vista is just too new.  Of course, it will fade.  I can barely remember what Whistler was, let alone Memphis, Cairo or whatever else.  Sigh.

Windows Vista screenshots : Lifehacker

PS. Hey Isaacs, I need a Strike-Through button in this editor.