Bil Simser has started a project for community-built templates.

I don't have the time for a full review, but the book Building ASP.Net Server Controls by Dale Michalk and Rob Cameron has been very helpful for a long time.

If you are interested in writing server controls (and remember, Web Parts are server controls) this book is for you. The authors start out with very basic "write" statements, but they progress into a sophisticated control -- one that includes templates, CSS styling and data binding.

The files referenced in the August Intranet Journal article: Using a Custom Web Page Template for Easy Content Entry

I noticed today that Google Maps now has a hybrid view that puts street names over the satellite view.

Update: The Image Upload Web Part has been updated.

Heather Solomon blogged about end-user-focused web parts. (Be sure to look at the comments for links to many others.) All are very valid points.

I have a small but helpful contribution: The ImageUpload Web Part.

On a WSS Team site, the default template has an Image Web Part that displays the Windows Logo. I have never seen this logo on a production site. To change the image is easy enough for users familiar with the Web Part page model: Open the tool pane and change the location of the image. This is where it gets difficult for end-users.

What if the image is on the end-user's computer? Most likely, they email the file to the webmaster/developer. It is then uploaded to web server and the URL emailed back to the user. (Or the webmaster/developer is updating the web part.) More industrious users will post the image to a photo gallery. Some will even determine the URL. But there is an easier way.

The ImageUpload Web Part displays a form with a file upload input box. The end user can click the browse button and select the image. The web part stores the image in a document library and automatically remembers the location (URL) and renders the <IMG> tag correctly.

Download the CAB file and source code.

The web part requires a setting in web.config with the location to store the images. And, the end user must have permission to store items in that library. (This second restriction could be alleviated using impersonation techniques from Todd Bleeker or Victor Vogelpoel or Jay Nathan.)

The web part referenced here: SharePoint Vision - Helping end users:

ImageUpload source.zip (573.92 KB)

In honor of the first manned Moon landing, which took place on July 20, 1969, we’ve added some NASA imagery to the Google Maps interface to help you pay your own visit to our celestial neighbor. Happy lunar surfing. More about Google Moon.

http://moon.google.com/

 

This article made me laugh out loud:

"In fact, hockey has been fixed, in that veterinarian sort way."

"But since this lockout was all about the 10 or so hard-line owners and their unleashed commissioner getting what they wanted at all costs, hats off to them. Preferably with their heads inside, true, but you get what you can at times like this."

Ray Ratto - ESPN.com

The lastest article in my SharePoint series is available on IntranetJournal.com

Customizing the Quick Launch in a WSS Team Site
This month, Paul provides a solution to automate the linking of documents in a Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) document library to the Quick Launch navigation feature.

The article discusses a custom web part. The web part and its source code are available for download.

"The purpose of the SharePoint Utility Suite is to provide a packaged collection of Tools and Utilities showcasing the rich Object Model that is delivered with the SharePoint Product and Technologies SDK (which includes Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 and SharePoint Portal Server 2003). This package includes code and tool examples that SharePoint Developers and SharePoint Administrators might find useful."
http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/downloads/components/detail.asp?a=724

Thanks to Jessica Gruber

This post is mostly a duplicate and is provided as a reference for others who stop by later.  Thank you to all who participated!

Andrew Connell started us off with good comments (re-posted on his blog).

Arpan Shah found the article entertaining, rather than informative.

Bil Simser would like Mr. Drips to call reality.

Robert Scoble has some ideas.

Maurice Prather has "Five things worth mentioning"

JOPX on SharePoint

The SharingPoint

Ed Brill (IBM)

Daniel McPherson: Only Five Things Wrong with SharePoint

Amanda Murphy discusses the vision

Bil Simser gets us turned around and discusses some positive features of SharePoint.

"Wish List" post by Larry Borsato

Thoughts about the community and the team from Patrick Tisseghem.

Eli Robillard: response to article and discussion of weaknesses.