1. How did you become an author for Wrox Press?

I was a technical reviewer for another Wrox Press book and had told the editor that I was going to VBITS, a conference for VB developers. He asked if I would put together a write-up of my thoughts and observations on it and it was distributed around Wrox Press. Dominic Shakeshaft contacted me and we began to dialog about Visual Basic and it role in programming and it went from there.

2. What do you hope readers will gain from your book?

I hope that they will gain the knowledge of how components, COM, and services all come together. I really geared this book toward the VB developer who might know how to use VB but doesn’t know how all the parts fit, especially with this "COM stuff" they have been hearing about. I hope after they are done reading the book they will know how the pieces fit and also will say "I didn’t know I was doing COM all along, cool!"

3. Why is COM so important to VB?

COM is important for VB because it is an integral part of VB. COM is the technology that allows for component-based, rapid application development that VB is known for. COM allows the VB developer to create components that interact with other components or containers. COM allows VB developers to create ActiveX Controls, ActiveX DLL’s, ActiveX EXE’s. Also, the VB developer can reuse tools such as data access (OLE DB, ADO) in all their applications. They do not have to know how something like data access is done, just how to do it.

4. Are you interested in any other areas of programming?

I find user interface technology interesting. Whether it is a browser or a holographic image, I think the landscape of computing will not have beige boxes with an oversized monitor. We are now seeing people who are using laptops, handheld PCs, and other types of form factors. I think developers are going to have to realize that the day of battleship gray forms with many text boxes will be over.

5. Do you think VB implements too much unnecessary COM for you?

No. You can never get too much COM. J But seriously, I think it is the nature of the beast, and I will leave that for another book.

6. What do you do apart from authoring great VB COM books?

Try to spend quality time with my wife, two cats, and dogs.

7. How do you feel seeing your picture on the cover of a book?

It is very odd. It will be even more so when I see it in a bookstore.

8. Who is your favorite Hockey team?

GO DALLAS STARS! I have become a huge fan of hockey just within the past year. I was never a sports fan at all, and then my last boss took the team out to a game. I spent the first period reading the rules and asking a lot of questions. They by the second period I was hooked! Now I try never to miss a game on T.V. if I can.

9. What’s your favorite interface?

IUnknown

10. If you could invite anyone, alive or dead, to your dinner party who would they be? Also what would be on the menu?

I would invite Martha Stewart, Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer and my family for a hibachi-style dinner.

11. What would you say to reassure (or not!) anyone contemplating being a first time author for Wrox?

I would first make them aware that you just gave up all your free time for the next few months. I went into it thinking it would be easy, "just dump it out of your head onto paper." That is not the case. You really need to not only provide the material, but also have a goal in mind for the book. Mine was to introduce COM and components to the VB developer. Also, editing is just as hard as the writing.

I suggest that before someone decides to write a book, they need to decide if they have the time that it takes to put into a book.

12. What impact will COM+ have on VB?

COM+ is very interesting because there is going to be a dedicated push for application services. Unfortunately, I have become aware of new or changed COM+ information that has changed since the book was published. It is hard to write about something that is not available but is being introduced. I will make sure to show what has changed or is new when COM+ is released. I will make it available on the Wrox website. Over all, I think COM+ is going to be very cool.

13. How soon should a new VB programmer start thinking about COM?

After they are familiar with Visual Basic’s language and IDE, they should begin to learn what it is. They do not have to know the details of marshaling and IDL, but they should be aware of what COM does for the developer. Probably most are creating COM components and don’t even know it!

14. Do you think the problem with configuring DCOM properly outweighs its usefulness?

Do I think that configuring DCOM should be easier? Yes. Do I think that it outweighs its usefulness? No. I am confident that Microsoft will make DCOM much easier to administrate and configure in the near future.

15. What are the typical hurdles your user group encounters when learning COM?

When introducing COM, sometimes it is necessary to start off with what exactly it is. Is it a language, a specification, a product, all the above? Those who know COM tend to throw the term around, but do not necessarily define it so that even the layperson can understand it. Usually I start there, then I show how Visual Basic allows you to create COM components easily.

16. What’s your opinion on the severity of the Y2K problem? Do you think it’s going to be the worldwide disaster some are predicting?

I think the Y2K issue is very critical and that everyone should be aware of the issues and working hard to solve any problems. I do think that the hype is getting out of hand. I saw a sign yesterday that had Y2K water barrels for sale! If there are issues, I think they will be small and most companies will try their best to remedy the situation.