John Gomez

When you run a .NET application, do you ever wonder about what goes on "under the hood?" Starting with a simple "Hello World" application, we will see exactly what happens when you compile your source code to IL. Next, we will trace the progress of the IL through the runtime as i... (more)

From the perspective of most programmers, the ability to raise an exception is typically a rather straightforward set of semantics that allows your program to react to an unexpected situation. But as with most things related to .NET, there are a variety of under-the-covers "happ... (more)

In Part 1 of this series (.NETDJ, Vol. 1, issue 12) we explored some basic background in regard to .NET threading. We explored concepts related to threads in general, their appropriate usage, and how to work with the thread pool in .NET as an alternative to managing our own threa... (more)

If I had to bet on what is the least-understood - yet most often viewed as a cure-all - area of software engineering, I would have to place my money on threads. The topic of threading, in my opinion, causes a tremendous amount of confusion and is typically implemented in situatio... (more)

For many people change is a scary concept - and in the world of technology it can cause a roller coaster ride of emotions. As developers, you would think that we would be used to change, as we are typically the instruments of change. But try as we might, the new release of a soft... (more)

When we left Marissa last month she was getting rather cranky, but now she is well rested and ready to get down to business. And that business is how Microsoft .NET manages memory through the use of what is commonly known as the garbage collector or GC. In the first article in th... (more)

"What's wrong, Uncle John?" I hadn't realized how my facial expressions were illustrating my inner feelings. I had been working on a new coding project, and as I worked I became more and more amazed by the native memory management provided by .NET. It seemed that almost by magic ... (more)

Ah, the need for speed. It drives many of us insane as we spend late nights in a dark and dingy development shop tricking out our code to gain just another microsecond of performance. Programming legends live and die by the performance of their code. Many of my brethren have lost... (more)

The Aglo tribe lives on a small island called Zerep, located in the South Pacific. From year to year the Aglos are never sure of what to expect. Sometimes they have plentiful resources and life is good, things run smoothly, and there is much joy and happiness. At other times they... (more)

There are places in this universe were mortals fear to tread ­ dark mysterious places replete with shadowy cliffs, hidden treasures, and rumors of spiritual powers. These places are best left to wizards, hobbits, and elves ­ and those few who have an unbridled passion for adventu... (more)