The MSDN Australia Blog

Thank You and Farewell from Finula Crowe as I venture out beyond Microsoft, you guys rock!!

2009-06-30T08:57:00Z

Dear Developer Community! This will be my final blog post as Developer Marketing Manager at Microsoft. I want to THANK YOU for keeping me honest and for all your support and feedback over the years (6 years!). Some of you I have met having launched at least 3 versions of Visual Studio and built the REMIX Australia brand, some not but your voice has always been heard by me. I leave behind a VERY dedicated and passionate team of Evangelists. Make sure you catch up with them: Andrew Coates, Delicate Genius, Dave Glover, Shane Morris, Jeff Alexander, Nick Hodge and many many more. I'm off to spend a couple of months with my family in Ireland helping out in the family hotel and golfing business. It'll be a change of pace for now but I know my passion for Australia and the ICT industry will bring me back here very soon! I will be on Twitter so, please follow my adventures there (@finulation.com). Wishing you much success in your lives and careers! Fin :-)

And the Winners of the Tickets to REMIX are....

2009-06-05T10:04:00Z

Folks, thanks for sharing your reasons for wanting to go to REMIX09! Basically I thought you all had a good reason (particularly if you are prepared to fly from Melbourne!). So, for all of you who posted your reason before 5pm today, you've won your place! Andrew Pascoe, Kevin Collins, Edge, Andrew (the SQL guy!), "ysivaram", phineas562 and "aroshaj". Just pop me an email asap finulac@microsoft.com and I will send you a registration code. See you at REMIX on 11th June at Star City hotel!! Fin :-)

Win one of 5 free tickets to the best show in town next week: REMIX09 Sydney 11th June!

2009-06-03T07:20:00Z

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen! REMIX09 is just a week away and we are delighted to see so much support for it again this year - even in these tough economic times we will welcome almost 100 more delegates than last year's sell-out show :-) Anyway, if you've checked out REMIX but still found it difficult to justify paying the $199 to come along, I understand and would like to offer you a chance to get a ticket to the best show in town next week!! It's easy, just tell me why you would love to join us at REMIX at Star City and the top 5 will score their free ticket. You have until 2pm Friday to supply your answer and I will announce the winners on my blog by the end of the day Friday so that you can register over the weekend. Cheers and Good Luck and I hope everybody who really wants to attend wins a ticket! Fin :-)

REMIX09 Networking Event will be held "at the pub" : Oscars in Pyrmont

2009-05-11T08:27:00Z

Hey guys, my Dad always said that the best meetings are held in the pub - but then again, he would say that as he is a Publican! But, that aside, I think there is a lot of truth to that whether you enjoy a drink or a lemonade. So, we've booked Oscars, a neat bar/restaurant around the corner from REMIX venue, Star City for a few drinks to wind down on what promises to be a very full day of great content! So, if you are going to REMIX be sure to save a couple of hours for the most imporatant element of any conference - the networking! We'll give you a specia VIP pass when you register on the day of REMIX to gain entry. I know I'll definitely be hanging out for a "red"! Fin

Announcing REMIX 09 Australia on 11th June now Open for Registrations! Early Bird $199 until 21 May

2009-05-04T07:03:00Z

Hi Guys. I've been a bit slow at the blogging over the last few weeks as I finalised REMIX 09. It's now open for registrations!! We've got over a dozen Industry Experts lined up to speak about some awesome local Australian implementations of everything from Surface, Virtual Earth, and IE8 to the soon to be launched versions of Silverlight 3 and Expression 3. Check out the detailed session line-up or Register now and save $100! At $199 (incl GST) there aren't a lot of conferences you get a whole day of awesome content for at that price. See you there on 11th June at Sydney Star City Hotel. Fin

Free Half-Day Technical Workshops on Windows Embedded in April & May

2009-04-14T08:03:00Z

Hi Folks. I just came across these free Windows Embedded technical sessions (half-day) so, admittedly a couple of them are this week so probably short notice but they take place regularly and there are some in May and June. Check out the website or contact the organisers directly: contact@dsta.com.au

Cheers

Fin

APRIL
MELBOURNE	Windows Embedded ½ Day Technical Workshop – FREE Date: Wednesday, 15^th of April, 2009 1:00pm to 4:30pm (Registration/morning tea starts at 12:30pm) Venue : Microsoft , Level 5, 4 Freshwater Place, Southbank, Victoria. Parking : Under building at commercial rates.
BRISBANE	Windows Embedded ½ Day Technical Workshop – FREE Date: Thursday, 16^th of April, 2009 1:00pm to 4:30pm (Registration/morning tea starts at 12:30pm) Venue : Microsoft Theatre 1 , L9 Waterfront Place, 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane QLD 4000. Parking : Under building at commercial rates.

We will also be conducting ½-Day Workshops in Sydney and Auckland in the month of May!

MAY
SYDNEY	Windows Embedded ½ Day Technical Workshop – FREE Date: Thursday, 7^th of May, 2009 1:00pm to 4:30pm (Registration/morning tea starts at 12:30pm) Venue : Ground floor, Microsoft , 1 Epping Rd, North Ryde, NSW (Exit off Delhi Rd) Parking : Available free around the building
AUCKLAND	Windows Embedded ½ Day Technical Workshop – FREE Date: Tuesday, 26^th of May, 2009 1:00pm to 4:30pm (Registration/morning tea starts at 12:30pm) Venue : Microsoft Theatre, Level 5, 22 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland Central. Parking : Street and Wilson parking close by

Please click here for a detailed agenda of the ½-Day Technical Workshops.

Register Now!

RSVP Email: contact@dsta.com.au

Join the World-Wide Developer Community and Learn for free! Register now for Microsoft TechDays on 1 April.

2009-03-11T09:15:00Z

Connect with your peers and a team of experts from around the world in this 24 hour virutal event. Build your agenda now from 95 sessions on various technologies from Sharepoint to Mobility to Visual Studio. Check it out and tell your team, pretty soon you'll be defying all challenges together!http://www.msfttechdays.com/public/home.aspx

Tripping the Silverlight Fantastic! - Going DeepZoom at Sydney Mardis Gras

2009-03-06T07:42:00Z

Well whilst my Mardis Gras partying days might be a distant memory... I am really excited about Mardis Gras this year but for reasons other than shakin' it up on the Dance floor of the Horden!! Our local Evangelism team (Michael Kordahi and Greg Willis amongst others) have created a great implementation of Silverlight and Deep Zoom which showcases Mardis Gras pics for the last couple of decades. It has just hit the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age so, whether you want to check to see if your past has caught up with you (yeah, there's even a photo of me up there...) or, want to check out the technology, pop onto SMH. If you want more details on how they did it (the website that is..) our local Delicate Genius has documented the details for us on his blog. If you are heading out to party, don't forget to share your photos on Monday on SMH. Have a good one! Fin

Free MS Press E Book on C#. Start programming now!

2009-02-25T07:59:00Z

For those of you just learing to program or wanting to better your C# skills, there is a Free MS Press E-Book on offer now. MS Press will be offering a new book to download every month. Find out more here. You can also download the free Visual Express for C# to get you going here. Happy Learning! Fin

IF "Software Quality" is your thing then don't miss this FREE 2 hour seminar coming to a city near you! Registration Details Below!

2009-02-19T04:25:00Z

Quality means different things to different people, but arguably it is the most important attribute of any software solution. Failure is not an option in these tough economic times; it is paramount to be in control of the application development lifecycle.

Come to this roadshow to learn how Visual Studio Team System helps you build quality software. Whether you are a project manager, a developer, a tester or a DBA or play some other role in the development cycle – there is something for you in Visual Studio Team System!

In addition, Readify will present real life experience from the field and will outline how they help customers implement Visual Studio Team System so they can achieve their business objectives.

Agenda

· Introduction (10 min)

· Quality with Visual Studio Team System (50 min)

· Making it happen in real life (15 min)

· Current Visual Studio promotions (5 min)

· Q&A and Close (10 min)

Dates

· Melbourne* – Feb 23^rd from 14:00 AM to 15:30 AM

· Canberra* – Feb 26^th from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM

· Brisbane* – March 3^rd from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM

· Adelaide* – March 10^th from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM

· Sydney* – March 12^th from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM

* Places limited or subject to availability

Don’t hesitate to contact our developer solution team for any detail

Jihad Dannawi

Developer Solution Specialist

jihadda@microsoft.com

Chris Birmele

Team System Solution Specialist

cbirmele@microsoft.com

Get along to the new SQL User group in Sydney CBD focussing on SQL Dev and Administration. Details below:

2009-01-27T08:34:00Z

Victor Isakov (MCT, MCITP, MCM, SQL Ranger) is starting a new SQL Server User Group Meeting during lunchtimes in the Sydney CBD. It will run on the 1st Wednesday of every month, from 12:30 to 14:30, at Westpac Place.

This new user group will focus more on best practices, optimization, design and implementation - areas specifically geared towards the corporate sector. The meetings will be of high quality that you would typically see at conferences such as Microsoft Tech Ed, SQL PASS or SQL Connections. A number of industry experts and Microsoft personnel have committed to presenting at this new user group in 2009.

The meetings of this new user group will rotate through 3 core themes:

Database Administrator (DBA) Focuses on the responsibilities of the Database Administrator, covering areas such as disaster recovery, management, performance tuning, security and operational excellence.
Database Developer (DBD) Focuses on the responsibilities of the Database Developer, covering areas such as query writing, query tuning, indexing strategies, locking architecture and database design.
Database Architect (ARC) Focuses on the responsibilities of the Database Architect, covering areas such as high-availability, storage, consolidation / virtualization and scalability.

The details for the new SQL Server User Group are as follows:

Time	12:30 to 14:30
Agenda	12:30 - 13:00: Registration / Networking 13:00 - 13:15: News / Case Studies 13:15 - 14:30: Presentation
Location	Westpac Place 275 Kent St, Sydney, NSW 2000‎
Dates	4th Feb, 4th Mar, 1st Apr, 6th May, 3rd Jun, 1st Jul, 5th Aug, 2nd Sep, 7th Oct, 4th Nov, 2nd Dec
Contact	victor@sqlserversolutions.com.au

It is important to pre-register for the SQL Server User Group Meetings to help facilitate entry into Westpac Place.

You can come on the day without pre-registering, and are encouraged to "bring a friend" but it will take longer to gain entry.

So please email victor@sqlserversolutions.com.au if you plan to attend.

Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 is here! Try it now and Discover the difference.

2009-01-27T07:11:00Z

Hi Folks. Just got over my "early adopter" nerves and dowloaded IE8 RC1. It was a pleasant experience and only took a few minutes... I look forward to discovering some of the promised improvements such as an increase in speed, ease of finding information and of course improved security. However, I am by no means an IE expert so, I strongly advise you to check out the IE 8 Blog which is designed to guide the more technically savvy (i.e. you guys!) in testing and implementing IE8. If you are responsible for your client or employers websites then, as this is the final Release before IE 8 is finalised, please download the Release Candidate, test your sites and services and software with the product, make any changes necessary for the best possible customer experience with IE8, and let us know about your experience. Note that the IE8 Release Candidate is for Windows Vista, XP, and Server only; Windows 7 users will get an updated IE8 with the next update of Windows 7.

President Obama's inauguration viewed through Microsoft Silverlight!!

2009-01-21T08:33:00Z

I know, it's probably not the most important highlight of the day for Americans but, I just couldn't help but have a little "moment of pride" that our very own Silverlight has played a part in this historical moment :-) and did a good job too! Witness it for your self!

Windows 7 Beta announced and ready for download! Find out where to get the best resources here...

2009-01-12T05:28:00Z

Well folks, some people at Microsoft obviously didn't have the relaxing Christmas break I had... oh no... they were busily finalising Win7 Beta which was of course announced by Mr Ballmer himself at CES last week. By all reports it's well worth a look and an install if you are so inclinded. If you just want to have a look at the demos, read the info., etc, you'll find a lot of what you need right here on the Win7 site. Enjoy...! Fin

Attend this weeks Sydney Deep .NET User Group on Thursday 4th Dec on Exposing Windows Workflow to SOA, Details below

2008-12-01T07:33:00Z

Hi Guys. Just in case you are not already a member, the Sydney Deep .NET UG never disappoints - why not top off a great year and attend this week's gathering. Details below:

SDNUG December Meeting - Thursday 4 Dec 2008

Exposing Windows Workflow to SOA: Real Life Lessons by Paul Sorauer

In this 90 minute presentation, Paul Sorauer from Code Red Solutions will demonstrate the practical steps required to expose Windows Workflow to SOA, and discuss the lessons learn from real-world projects.

Service-Orientated-Architecture is becoming increasing more important when designing 'Enterprise Level' software solutions, and the recent releases of Visual Studio 2008 and .Net 3.5 now provide us with the ability to create Windows Workflows exposed to SOA via WCF endpoints. This ability to offer workflow as a service removes it from a tightly-coupled architecture, with the added benefit of making it much easier to consume from stateless environments such as ASP.NET.

Topics that will be covered in the presentation include:

* What Workflow is and when to use it;

* An overview of Sequential vs. State Machine Workflows;

* The basic steps required to expose a State Machine Workflow as a WCF Service;

* Various 'Gotchas' and lessons learnt the hard way;

* Bugs with Visual Studio's design time support for Workflow Services and their workarounds;

* The Workflow Persistence and Tracking Services;

* Workflow support for database transactions.

Paul Sorauer is the proprietor of Code Red Solutions, a one-year-old software development consultancy. Paul has been working professionally in the industry since 2000 on projects as diverse as Smart Card applications, 3D modelling in a web-browser, ISV products for the Retail Sector, and Microsoft Office and Sharepoint integration. His recent development work has been at the 'Enterprise Level', consulting to Network Seven as a Windows Workflow Specialist.

Location: AMP Capital Investors, Ground Floor, 50 Bridge Street (The AMP Building), Sydney

Timing: Thursday 4 Dec 2008 @ 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm

Pizzas and drinks provided. The pizza will be there at 6, so be early to avoid missing out.

To allow us to provide the correct amount of food and drink, please click through to http://www.sdnug.org/pizzarego.aspx if you plan to attend. No personal information is recorded by the page - it is used only to estimate the total attendance.

Dan Green, Troy Magennis and Nick Wienholt Sydney Deep .NET Administrators.

Keep up to date with SDNUG happenings and download the slides and code from past months @ www.sdnug.org

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