Category: contests

Morning Dew Giveaway – Programming with Scratch (eBook)

[EDIT: The two winners have been selected and will be notified very soon Thanks!]

 

It’s giveaway time.

Manning has released a new book by Dr. Majed S. Marji titled Programming with Scratch. Scratch is a programming language developed at the MIT Media Lab. You can learn more about it at http://scratch.mit.edu/.

 

Here’s a little more about Manning’s book on Scratch:

Too often, the unfamiliar appearance and intimidating vocabulary of a standard programming language gets in the way of learning to think like a programmer. The Scratch programming language turns the tables, offering instead a colorful, comfortable programming environment designed especially for young coders. You build programs by snapping together graphical components, each of which corresponds to a standard programming concept. Scratch users get results immediately and are encouraged to keep exploring.

Morning Dew readers have a chance to win one of two eBook copies of Programming with Scratch. Just leave a comment below, any comment will do. You have until 11:59pm on Monday, August 27, 2012 to enter.

Just a reminder that multiple comments will not increase your chances of winning, and comments for unregistered users are moderated so your comment may not immediately appear.

Good luck!

Alvin

 

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The Dew Review – 60 Android Hacks (MEAP) (Win an eBook too)

EDIT: Congrats to eBook winners Terrance S. and Freek U! You will be receiving your eBooks soon.

So, you just saw all of Google’s big announcements at their I/O conference today and you want to build a cool new app for the new Nexus 7 tablet. If you have some experience developing on the platform but want to take your skills up a notch with some handy tips and tricks, you should check out a new title from Manning Publications.sessa_cover150

60 Android Hacks by Carlos Sessa is currently in MEAP (Manning Early Access Program) with 23 of the 60 sections (hacks) currently available. I was given a chance to review the current version of the book over the last couple of weeks.

The Hacks are grouped into categories including Layout, Animation, Tools, and Patterns. Most of the hacks explain the purpose of the hack, provide some sample code and then walk through the code step by step. Any relevant links to Android SDK online documentation or other tools are provided at the end of each hack. The hacks are useful and easy to understand. It is evident that the author is an experienced Android developer. I have enjoyed what I have read so far and made use of several of the tips in a project of my own.

There are some hacks unavailable in the current MEAP that I am looking forward to reading. The Fragmentation section should prove to be very helpful with all the different version of Android out in the wild.

I encourage you to check it out for yourself. If you purchase a MEAP copy of the eBook, you will get regular updates and a copy of the final version of the eBook.

The Giveaway

Manning has offered to give an eBook copy to two lucky readers. Just leave a comment below and let me know your favorite mobile platform (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, etc.) I will choose two random commenters with valid email addresses. The answer will have no bearing on your chance of winning. Multiple entries will not increase your chances of winning. You can enter between now and July 5, 2012 11:59pm. I will choose and contact the winners on July 6, 2012.

EDIT: Comments may not appear immediately for unregistered users. If you don’t see your comment, it is awaiting moderation.

Good luck!

 

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Your Chance to Win 1 of 50 Licenses for Red Gate’s .NET Reflector Professional

Most of my readers are probably aware of Red Gate’s decision to no longer offer a free edition of Reflector, the .NET assembly decompiler and analyzer. Much has already been said about the decision, and I am not going to jump in to debate the politics/ethics of the decision at this time. The fact is, Reflector is a great utility for any .NET developer’s toolbox. I think that, in the end, this move is going to create some competition in the market and hopefully drive Reflector and its competitors to deliver better, more feature-rich tools. We have already seen a couple of free alternatives pop up (here and here).

Red Gate has heard the concerns of the community and contacted me about running a promotion to help promote some goodwill. Over the next two weeks, you will have two chances to enter a contest sponsored by Red Gate. There will be 50 winners, each receiving a license for .NET Reflector Professional. There are two ways to enter:

  1. Leave a comment on this blog post. At the end of the contest I will choose, at random, 25 winners.
  2. Follow me on Twitter and tweet this message. I will choose 25 random winners from the list of tweets.

Hey @alvinashcraft. I want a copy of Reflector 7 from @redgate. #dewdrop

Here are a few rules/disclaimers/disclosures:

  • You can only win one license. If the same person is chosen in both the comments and tweets, another random name will be drawn.
  • The contest begins today, February 21, 2011 and ends on Friday, March 4, 2011.
  • Winners will be contacted no later than Tuesday, March 8, 2011.
  • As a Microsoft MVP and Friend of Red Gate, I have free NFR licenses for Reflector and ANTS Profiler for personal use. I have not been compensated by Red Gate in any other way.
  • Gifts, bribes, complements, etc. will have NO influence on the outcome of this contest.

Good luck and thanks for reading The Dew!