Technical Articles
InternetServer Class For SocketTools .NET
The SocketTools .NET Edition includes the InternetServer class that was designed to simplify the implementation of a TCP/IP server application. With only a few lines of code, you can create the framework for a multi-threaded server that is completely event driven. You only need to create event handlers and then write your server code to respond to those network events.
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SocketTools 64-bit Components
SocketTools provides both 32-bit and 64-bit components and libraries for the Windows platform. Although most applications today continue to be 32-bit, there is no question that 64-bit platforms are growing along with demand for native 64-bit applications. It’s estimated that over 90% of Windows 10 desktop installations are the 64-bit version, and virtually all desktop and laptop PCs have 64-bit processors.
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SocketTools and Multi-threading
One of the errors that developers occasionally ask about is the "Handle not owned by the current thread error"; what it actually means and the situations in which it can occur. This doesn't tend to be an error message that developers using the SocketTools ActiveX controls encounter. It is almost exclusively an issue related to the .NET and Library Editions. The reason this error exists, an explanation of the threading ...
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SocketTools Message Store
SocketTools includes components for sending e-mail using SMTP, downloading and managing messages using POP3 or IMAP4 and a general purpose MIME component that can be used to parse messages and create new ones. However, one of the problems that developers often face is what to actually do with those messages once they have been sent or received. SocketTools has introduced a set of extensions to the Mail Message component that makes ...
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User Account Control and User Virtualization
In older versions of Windows, it was common for regular users to run with administrative privileges. In fact, most Windows applications made the assumption that the user was a member of the Administrators group and therefore had unrestricted access to the entire system. This has changed with the User Account Control (UAC) system, which limits access to critical system resources, even when the user has administrative privileges.
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The Secure Shell Protocol
The Secure Shell protocol provides a secure, encrypted connection between the local host and a remote computer, ensuring that third-parties cannot decipher any intercepted network traffic. Originally SSH was used primarily on UNIX based systems as a secure alternative to the insecure TELNET protocol, in which private information such as passwords would be sent as plain text over the network. SSH provides a high level of data integrity and confidentiality ...
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5/5
SocketTools and Catalyst Development have by far surpassed my expectations
I’ve been very impressed with all aspects of this project, and both SocketTools and Catalyst Development have by far surpassed my expectations. We ran into a number of roadblocks on this endeavor, and I appreciate your persistence and patience, particularly with the inconsistent test environment our client provided. I am also very impressed with the functionality of our new custom control. Very slick! Once again, thanks very much for all your hard work!
Kevin Taylor, Tailored Software, Inc. (Canada)
5/5
The documentation is amongst the best I’ve seen and used
Great product! I recently purchased the SocketWrench library and I’m pleasantly surprised by the ease of use and exceptionally intuitive API.
I wanted to replace some home-grown code with the new component and it just dropped into place and worked on the first compilation! The documentation is amongst the best I’ve seen and used, with lots of clear and concise tips and helpful information. I am very impressed with the price-quality level.
I look forward to many years of mutual benefits for both our companies.
Martin Hart, Memory Soft (Spain)
5/5
The best and most productive controls I have ever come across
Thanks for the amazing controls, the best and most productive I have ever come across. They work every time as per the detailed documentation with no gotchas. Great work.
Martin G Nagle, InfoMining PL (Australia)
5/5
I'm impressed with how you maintain backwards compatibility
I wanted to let you know how impressed I am with maintaining backwards compatibility. I had a VB6 program with 6 different implementations of the SocketWrenchCtl.SocketWrench class v4.5 (which was from 2006). I dropped the new in the updated .ocx file expecting to suddenly invoke 11 years worth of renamed properties, added dependencies and breaking changes. I have not yet changed a single line of code and so far (fingers crossed) it appears to be stable.
I just thought I'd point that out because most devs can't go 3 months without introducing a breaking change (myself included)
Russell Phillips, Echotech (Australia)