Book Review: C# 2008 for Dummies by Chuck Sphar and Stephen Randy Davis So, you ve finally decide to learn C# to obtain access to the low-level functionality that it provides. C# is one of my favorite languages (I have many), so I was especially interested in reviewing this book. Like many Dummies books, C# 2008 for Dummies focuses on the needs of the novice and helps the intermediate reader a little toward the end. Kojax: Mobile AJAX from Microsoft? Microsoft is reportedly working on a mobile AJAX technology code-named Kojax. The goal of Kojax is said to be to enable developers to create interactive mobile applications using a combination of Visual Studio tools and JavaScript. Microsoft, OpenLogic, and Open Source Microsoft delivers the beta of a download manager and packaged open-source applications to make it easier for Web developers to install Web products. The move follows Microsoft s support for an Eclipse Foundation project related to Silverlight and precedes sponsorship of the Government Open Source Conference.		Microsoft Delivers Silverlight 2 Microsoft announces the availability of Silverlight 2 with new features including DRM and enhanced advertising support. Microsoft also announces funding for an open-source project to create an Eclipse plug-in for Silverlight The Ruby is Rising A study based on Black Duck Software’s Koders.com search engine data shows that the use of the Ruby language has grown significantly in the last four years. According to the Koders.com data, Ruby usage is ahead of dynamic language alternatives such as PHP, Python and Perl, and just behind more entrenched languages such as Visual Basic, C/C++ and C#. The Fight for the Future of Cloud Computing While Google and Microsoft have each developed very different business models and attitudes toward consumers and the enterprise, both companies are preparing to clash when it comes to how the world’s cloud computing infrastructure develops in the next 10 years. While Google and Microsoft might fight for dominance in the cloud, it’s not clear which company will win or if a third company might succeed.