BrianPeek.com

AI Types Faster Than I Do

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:49:39 -0700

Have you heard about this AI thing? I know it doesn’t get much press and hardly anyone is talking about it. So, what better way to give it some more attention than to write an article about it for my blog that hasn’t been updated in 8 years?

Let’s begin.

The Experiment

I wanted to try building a full Windows application using AI as my coding partner. Since Notepad gets more and more bloated and more and more filled with AI, how about turning the tables and using AI to build a no-bloat Notepad replacement?

The result is Nanopad, a Notepad replacement in pure Win32 C++ with no installer or runtime dependencies.

Dark	Light

What I Was Going For

Pure Notepad, but with some modern conveniences. Altogther, that means:

Full dark mode that follows the system theme
Per-monitor DPI scaling
Portable settings (INI file next to the EXE, no registry)
System integration (Replace Notepad, Open With, context menu)
Font selection
Encoding detection (UTF-8, UTF-16, ANSI)
Find & Replace, Print, Word Wrap, Go To Line

The Stack

Language: Modern C++
UI: Win32 API only - CreateWindowExW, WndProc, message loop
Edit control: Standard multiline EDIT class (same one original Notepad uses)
Build: Visual Studio 2022+, MSBuild, v143 toolset
CI/CD: GitHub Actions - builds on push, version-stamped releases on tag
Dark mode: Undocumented Windows APIs (more on this below)

This ends up being about 3,000 lines of C++ across 12 source files.

Build 2018 - GameDev Goodness

Sun, 13 May 2018 20:00:00 +0000

At this year’s Build conference, Dimitris Gkanatsios and I presented two sessions on game development and the cloud. The first demonstrates how one might use Azure Container Instances to automatically scale a multiplayer backend. The second is a demo on using Unity with Azure services like Computer Vision and Cosmos DB along with PlayFab for things like authentication and leaderboards. You can find the videos below along with some links to each project.

GDC 2018 - Multiplayer Server Scaling with Azure Container Instances

Sat, 31 Mar 2018 17:37:00 +0000

At GDC this year, I presented a session on scaling multiplayer backends using Azure Container Instances, Event Grid, and Azure Functions. An enormous thanks goes to Dimitris Gkanatsios who wrote 99% of this. You can find the video below, but here are some additional links:

Migrating BlogEngine.NET Comments to Disqus and Ghost

Wed, 17 May 2017 18:23:55 +0000

By default, Ghost does not have a commenting system of its own. When migrating my blog from BlogEngine.NET, I wanted to carry over old comments and maintain the commenting feature. Disqus to the rescue!

Migrating Old Comments

First, you’ll need to create an account at Disqus and select the “I want to install Disqus on my site” option. From here, you’ll walk through a wizard where you’ll give the website name, URL and other bits of information. Sign up with the Basic (free!) option.

Next, you’ll need to use that BlogML.xml file you created in the previous post and run it through a utility to convert it into a format that can be imported into Disqus.

Head over to GitHub to download and compile the BlogML2WP project, or download my precompiled version. Then, run the program like this:

BlogML2WP [inputfile] [domain]

So, for my site, it’d look like this:

BlogML2WP BlogML.xml /

This will create a new file named BlogML.Output.xml. Open this file in your favorite text editor, as you will need to “find and replace” some URL information since all posts and pages now live at the root of the site instead of the /post and /page URLs that BlogEngine uses.

Migrating BlogEngine.NET to Ghost

Wed, 03 May 2017 01:36:50 +0000

As mentioned previously, I recently migrated my blog to Ghost from BlogEngine.NET. I’ll be writing a few posts discussing what I went through in the migration process.

Installing Ghost on Azure

I run my life on Azure. Previously, my BlogEngine instance was running as an App Service, so getting Ghost running on Azure was important to me. Luckily, Felix Rieseberg has already done all of the hard work for this step.

Head over to Felix’s Ghost-Azure repo on GitHub and click the big blue Deploy to Azure button. The deployment scrip will run, and you’ll be asked to log into your Azure account and fill out a form with your new site’s information (subscription, resource group, site name, etc.). When you complete this step, a new Ghost instance will be deployed to the location you requested. Simple!

Be sure to note the instructions on setting this up on a Basic (or higher) App Service Plan, then backing down to a Free/Shared plan if desired. This gets past a limitation where NPM requires more resources than a Free/Shared plan will give.

New Blog - Ghost

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 18:06:14 +0000

I don’t blog very regularly, it seems, so in an effort to get back on the bandwagon, I decided to migrate my blog from BlogEngine.NET to Ghost, since that’s what much of the world has moved to. If you are seeing this post, apparently I was successful.

While getting Ghost itself deployed and running on Azure was super simple, migrating my old posts, comments, images, links, and other data to the Ghost platform was a pretty involved process. I learned a ton, which I’ll be writing about here in future posts.

For those that follow this blog for my GameDev Newsletter posts, I have moved those to the GameDev News link above instead of spamming the regular feed. I absolutely plan on continuing the newsletter, so look for it there.

Other than that, if you see anything completely busted, please leave a comment or ping me on Twitter. Thanks!

Dreamcast GameDev with KOS and WSL

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 10:00:00 +0000

Many years ago, an open-source Sega Dreamcast SDK known as KallistiOS (KOS) was created and is still being developed today. I used this SDK long ago to create a few emulators that were published, and a variety of unfinished games that were not…

KOS is easy to get up and running on a variety of platforms, but on Windows this always required setting up Cygwin. But, with the addition of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10, one can now run Ubuntu and the Bash shell natively in Windows 10, and that means one can easily setup KOS, the SH4 toolchain and (almost) everything else required to develop and deploy apps to a Sega Dreamcast. Here’s how…

Requirements

A Sega Dreamcast capable of booting MIL-CDs…this is any machine manufactured prior to October 2000.
A Dreamcast Broadband Adapter (HIT-0300 or HIT-0400 both work)
The Dreamcast plugged into your network via Ethernet
The Linux Subsystem for Windows installed and configured

Updating LXSS

Make sure you upgrade the subsystem by issuing these two commands:

Game Developers: Get the Most Out of Windows 10

Wed, 13 May 2015 21:53:04 +0000

I had the opportunity to co-present a session at Build 2015 focusing on building games for Windows 10. Jaime Rodriguez and I spent an hour talking about the new Windows 10 features related to gaming, including Xbox Live, ID@Xbox, the new GamePad API, windowing, and the various middlewares and engines like MonoGame and Marmalade that are supporting Windows 10 at present. If you care about games and are excited about Windows 10, have a look!

Visual Studio Live! - Las Vegas 2015

Tue, 27 Jan 2015 14:31:48 +0000

It’s that time again…another Visual Studio Live! I will be presenting 2 sessions at Visual Studio Live! in Las Vegas this March 16-20. The conference is a full 5 day event and there’s still time to register. For this event, I’ll be presenting:

W23 Building Games for Windows and Windows Phone Using Unity and Other Frameworks
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Time: 3:00pm – 4:15pm
Level: Introductory
There are a variety of platforms and frameworks which can be used to build games on both Windows and Windows Phone depending on the complexity of the game and the developer's skill level. In this session, we will delve into the many options available to developers, including DirectX, Unity, MonoGame, and more!

VSH10 Building Your First Universal Application for Windows Phone and Windows Store
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Time: 1:30pm - 2:45pm
Level: Introductory
Universal Apps enable developers to build apps for Windows Store and Windows Phone simultaneously while sharing code, controls, and other assets between them. In this session, you will learn how Universal Apps work as we build a simple app from start to finish using this new project type. We will cover what can and can't be shared, and how to best structure your project for maximum re-use.

Visual Studio Live! - Orlando 2014

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 23:13:44 +0000

I will be presenting 3 sessions at Visual Studio Live! in Orlando this November 17-21. The conference is a full 5 day event, and part of the Live! 360 conference, covering SharePoint, SQL Server, Modern Apps and more. Plus, there’s still time to register and save $600 if you register before 10/15/14! For this event, I’ll be presenting:

VSH03 Games Development with Unity and Other Frameworks for Windows and Windows Phone
Date: Thursday, November 20, 2014
Time: 8:00am – 9:15pm
Level: Introductory

There are a variety of platforms and frameworks which can be used to build games on both Windows and Windows Phone depending on the complexity of the game and the developer's skill level. In this session, we will delve into the many options available to developers, including DirectX, Unity, MonoGame, and more!

VSH08 Writing Asynchronous Code using .NET 4.5 and C# 5.0
Date: Thursday, November 20, 2014
Time: 9:30am – 10:45pm
Level: Introductory

A variety of new features were added to the .NET 4.5 Framework, including support for easily writing asynchronous code. This session will introduce the concepts of asynchronous programming, .NET Tasks, how to ensure your UI remains responsive, and how to do all of this properly in your own applications using the new "async"and "await" keywords. If you're looking for ways to provide a better, smoother experience for your users, don't miss this session!

Visual Studio Live! – Washington DC 2014

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 13:43:58 +0000

I will be presenting 2 sessions at Visual Studio Live! in Washington DC this October 6-9. The conference is a full 4 day event and there’s still time to register and save $400 if you register before 9/10/14! For this event, I’ll be presenting:

TH07 Building Your First Windows Phone 8.1 Application
Date: Thursday, October 9, 2014
Time: 9:30am – 10:45pm
Level: Introductory

Expand your mobile horizons with Windows Phone! Developing applications for the phone is quite similar to building XAML applications for other platforms. In this session, Brian will demonstrate the fundamentals of Windows Phone development while building a very simple application which covers all of the important points of the new platform's architecture, including the developer tools, device emulator and touch input. We will also discuss what's new with the Windows Phone 8.1 update and how you can use it to build better apps.
TH11 Building Games for Windows and Windows Phone
Date: Thursday, October 9, 2014
Time: 11:00am – 12:15pm
Level: Introductory

Visual Studio Live! – Redmond 2014

Tue, 27 May 2014 21:03:30 +0000

I will be presenting 2 sessions at Visual Studio Live! in Redmond this August 18-22. The conference is a full 4 day event and there’s still time to register and save $500 if you register before 6/11/14! For this event, I’ll be presenting:

TH15 Performance and Diagnostics Hub in Visual Studio 2013
Date: Thursday, August 22, 2014
Time: 11:00am – 12:15pm
Level: Intermediate

Visual Studio 2013 has introduced a new Performance and Diagnostics hub which encompasses a variety of new and old tools to profile your Windows Store applications. In this session, we will take a detailed look at all of the tools that the Performance and Diagnostics Hub has to offer with both XAML and HTML/JavaScript Windows Store apps.

TH25 Writing Asynchronous Code Using .NET 4.5 and C# 5.0
Date: Thursday, August 22, 2014
Time: 3:45pm – 5:00pm
Level: Introductory

A variety of new features were added to the .NET 4.5 Framework, including support for easily writing asynchronous code. This session will introduce the concepts of asynchronous programming, .NET Tasks, how to ensure your UI remains responsive, and how to do all of this properly in your own applications using the new "async" and "await" keywords. If you're looking for ways to provide a better, smoother experience for your users, don't miss this session!

Connect to a Bluetooth Serial Device with Xamarin.Android

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 08:48:00 +0000

I have been exploring the Xamarin tools recently and decided to try my hand at connecting some Bluetooth hardware to Android for a project that will be released soon. I have learned quite a bit about Bluetooth on Android and decided to write up a short description on how to connect to a Bluetooth serial device via RFCOMM/SPP.

First, grab an instance of the default BluetoothAdapter on the Android device and determine if it is enabled:

BluetoothAdapter adapter = BluetoothAdapter.DefaultAdapter;
if(adapter == null)
    throw new Exception("No Bluetooth adapter found.");

if(!adapter.IsEnabled)
    throw new Exception("Bluetooth adapter is not enabled.");

Next, get an instance of the BluetoothDevice representing the physical device you’re connecting to. You can get a list of currently paired devices using the adapter’s BondedDevices collection. I use some simple LINQ to find the device I’m looking for:

BluetoothDevice device = (from bd in adapter.BondedDevices 
                          where bd.Name == "NameOfTheDevice" select bd).FirstOrDefault();

if(device == null)
    throw new Exception("Named device not found.");

Finally, use the device’s CreateRfCommSocketToServiceRecord method, which will return a BluetoothSocket that can be used for connection and communication. Note that the UUID specified below is the standard UUID for SPP:

Visual Studio Live! – Chicago 2014

Tue, 08 Apr 2014 04:04:00 +0000

I will be presenting 2 sessions and speaking on the closing panel at Visual Studio Live! in Chicago this May 5-8. The conference is a full 4 day event and there’s still time to register and save $200 if you register before 4/16/14! For this event, I’ll be presenting:

TH10 Performance and Diagnostics Hub in Visual Studio 2013
Date: Thursday, May 8, 2014
Time: 11:00am – 12:15pm
Level: Intermediate
Visual Studio 2013 has introduced a new Performance and Diagnostics hub which encompasses a variety of new and old tools to profile your Windows Store applications. In this session, we will take a detailed look at all of the tools that the Performance and Diagnostics Hub has to offer with both XAML and HTML/JavaScript Windows Store apps.
TH20 Writing Asynchronous Code Using .NET 4.5 and C# 5.0
Date: Thursday, May 8, 2014
Time: 3:00pm – 4:15pm
Level: Introductory

A variety of new features were added to the .NET 4.5 Framework, including support for easily writing asynchronous code. This session will introduce the concepts of asynchronous programming, .NET Tasks, how to ensure your UI remains responsive, and how to do all of this properly in your own applications using the new "async" and "await" keywords. If you're looking for ways to provide a better, smoother experience for your users, don't miss this session!

Visual Studio Live! – Las Vegas 2014

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 11:18:00 +0000

I will be presenting 3 sessions at Visual Studio Live! in Las Vegas this March 10-14. The conference is a full 5 day event and there’s still time to register and save $500 if you register before 1/22/14! For this event, I’ll be presenting:

LT20 Controlling Hardware using Windows 8.1
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Time: 4:15pm – 5:30pm
Level: Introductory

Windows 8.1 allows developers to communicate with a variety of devices through several interfaces. In this session, we will look at how to talk to hardware connected via USB and Bluetooth, as well as some of the new APIs which allow Windows 8.1 to talk to Point of Sale (POS) devices, scanners, and even 3D printers using real examples with real hardware!

LT27 Performance and Diagnostics Hub in Visual Studio 2013
Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Time: 1:15pm – 2:30pm
Level: Intermediate

Visual Studio 2013 has introduced a new Performance and Diagnostics hub which encompasses a variety of new and old tools to profile your Windows Store applications. In this session, we will take a detailed look at all of the tools that the Performance and Diagnostics Hub has to offer with both XAML and HTML/JavaScript Windows Store apps.

Email Woes

Tue, 10 Dec 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Apparently the email service tied to this blog has been down for quite a long time and I had no idea. If you've sent me an email recently, please re-send using the Contact Me link above. Sorry!

Visual Studio Live! – Orlando 2013

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 14:33:19 +0000

Update: Make that 3 sessions!

I will be presenting 3 sessions at Visual Studio Live! in Orlando this November 18-22. The conference is a full 5 day event and there’s still time to register and save some cash! For this event, I’ll be presenting:

VST01 What's New in Windows 8.1 for Developers
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Time: 9:30 am – 10:45 am
Level: Introductory

Windows 8.1 contains thousands of new APIs which can make your application even better. In this session, you will get an overview of what’s new to developers in Windows 8.1, and how to use these features to make your apps even better. From new XAML controls to PDF support to text-to-speech, you won’t want to miss this session if you’re a Windows 8 developer!

VST05 Controlling Hardware using Windows 8.1
Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Time: 11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Level: Introductory

Windows 8.1 allows developers to communicate with a variety of devices through several interfaces. In this session, we will look at how to talk to hardware connected via USB and Bluetooth, as well as some of the new APIs which allow Windows 8.1 to talk to Point of Sale (POS) devices, scanners, and even 3D printers using real examples with real hardware!

Visual Studio Live! - Redmond 2013

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:21:00 +0000

Update: Slides and code are now available over on the Events page!

I will be presenting 2 sessions at Visual Studio Live! in Redmond on the Microsoft campus this August 19 – 23. The conference is a full 5 day event and there’s still time to register and save some cash! For this event, I’ll be presenting:

T20 Windows Store Application Contracts and Extensibility
Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Time: 4:15 pm – 5:30 pm
Level: Introductory

In this session, we will explore these contracts and how they can be used in any Windows Store application to provide a seamless, integrated experience for users. Contracts are a new feature of Windows 8 Store applications that allow interaction with the operating system and other Store applications in a standard way. With contracts, applications can implement interfaces to allow searching, sharing, settings, app-to-app file picking, and more.

TH03 Building Your First Windows Phone 8 Application
Date: Thursday, August 22, 2013
Time: 8:00 am – 9:15 am
Level: Introductory

Visual Studio Live! - Chicago 2013

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:26:00 +0000

I will be presenting a session at Visual Studio Live! in Chicago this May 13-17 at the Hilton Chicago. The conference is a full 5 day event and there’s still time to register and save $400!

W01 Building Your First Windows Phone 8 Application
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Time: 9:15 am - 10:30 am
Level: Introductory

Expand your mobile horizons with Windows Phone 8! Developing applications for the phone is extremely similar to building a XAML application for the desktop. In this session, I will demonstrate the fundamentals of Windows Phone development while building a very simple application which covers all of the important points of the new platforms architecture, including the developer tools and device emulator and touch input.

W13 Windows Store Application Contracts and Extensibility
Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm
Level: Intermediate

In this session, we will explore these contracts and how they can be used in any Windows Store application to provide a seamless, integrated experience for users. Contracts are a new feature of Windows 8 Store applications that allow interaction with the operating system and other Store applications in a standard way. With contracts, applications can implement interfaces to allow searching, sharing, settings, app-to-app file picking, and more. In this session, we will explore these contracts and how they can be used in any Windows Store application to provide a seamless, integrated experience for users.

Visual Studio Live! - Las Vegas 2013

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:08:00 +0000

Update: Slides and code are now available over on the Events page!

I will be presenting a session at Visual Studio Live! in Las Vegas this March 25-29 at the MGM Grand. The conference is a full 5 day event and there’s still time to register!

W01 Building Your First Windows Phone 8 Application
Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Time: 9:15 am - 10:30 am
Level: Introductory

Expand your mobile horizons with Windows Phone 8! Developing applications for the phone is extremely similar to building a XAML application for the desktop. In this session, I will demonstrate the fundamentals of Windows Phone development while building a very simple application which covers all of the important points of the new platforms architecture, including the developer tools and device emulator and touch input.

W20 Building a Windows Runtime Component with C#
Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Time: 4:15 pm - 5:30 pm
Level: Intermediate