Throughout the weeks, you’ve read various posts here on the Canadian Developer Connection about Windows Azure . Each one is geared to get you familiar with the platform and help you understand when and where you can use the Cloud, and ultimately, Windows Azure. But just when you thought you that you had it all down packed – think again! What?!?!? That’s right. I did say “think again”. That’s not to...

Great news! You can do the app excellence labs remotely and get your apps into the store early! If you are in Ottawa, added bonus:  stop by Saturday May 26th for a Windows 8 camp to get you rolling! Remote App Excellence Labs I wrote a post earlier this week talking about the app excellence labs . If you want to get your Windows 8 app to the store, you should be working on your code now and then...

June 6, 2012 | 12:00 PM ET | Add to Outlook >> According to Richard Campbell, there are big changes in the development world on the horizon, and while potentially scary, change is a great opportunity for developers. Hear about the history of how we got here and why the things you know now will stay valuable when you add a bit more in. Plus: Richard shares his advice on embracing change to propel...

If you want a token to put your app in the Windows 8 store, you need to attend an app excellence lab. The Windows 8 store is a significant opportunity, getting in early will improve the chance of your app getting noticed. In Canada, your first chance to get a token to put your app in the store is by completing an app excellence lab. In this post I’ll explain What is an app excellence...

I hope you’ve taken some time out this weekend to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather. Having said that though, Tuesday is back to work for most of us, but just because you’ve had an extra day off, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t something new to learn. This week it’s a double header, with two back to back sessions on TechDays TV. Tomorrow at 12:00 PM ET on TechDays TV: May 22 Watch LIVE >>...

Exactly a month ago, in my post Cloud: A Skill and Career Building Opportunity , I told you about the Windows Azure Developer Workshops – the one-day free workshop I was doing (with help from community experts Jef King , Jaime Bueza , Wouter van Eck , Atley Hunter , Mariusz Kolodziej , Bruce Johnson , Barry Gervin , and Jerold Xing ) that covered everything from basic Cloud Computing concepts to designing...

Monday May 28th to June 1st DevTeach comes to Vancouver with sessions on everything from Agile, to web, to SQL, to the cloud! DevTeach visits Vancouver every other year. The event is designed for developers and features lots of familiar names and great speakers! There is nothing quite like a conference by developers for developers! Interested in Agile ? How about sessions on Scrum, or dealing with...

Microsoft announced that the Windows 8 Store will be expanding to new markets . So now there is no excuse not to start building your cool Windows 8 app.We also announced that our next Windows 8 milestone, the Windows Release Preview, will be made available the first week of June. We want to help developers building great apps in these markets take advantage of the momentum of Windows 8.  Windows...

“Art” in this case referring to the masterpieces you’re going to be writing for Windows 8 – Metro-style apps! Sometimes an artist needs company in order to create their masterpieces. Now I’m not sure what those are called in the Painter’s world, but in the developer world, those are what we admirably call “hackathons” and there’s a few of them coming to help get your Metro juices flowing! Each Windows...

From Episode 6 – Cloud-Powered Revolutions | May 2, 2012 Recorded live on location at Vancouver TechFest 2012 , Scott talks about revolutions that are made possible by the Cloud. Plus: Scott dives deep into how Windows Azure enables developers to drive those revolutions. Questions? Comments? Due to a crazy schedule, unfortunately, Scott could not join us for the live show to answer your questions....

As always, as you’re winding down for the weekend, take a few minutes to catch up on May’s developer news as seen on this month’s D³: LIVE & INTERACTiVE (this past Wednesday). Links Canadian Developer Connection Windows Phone App ( Windows Phone Marketplace ) TechDays TV - May 8 - WIN280 - Metro in Windows 8 and Windows Phone TechDays TV - May 22 - DEV281 - Visual Studio 11 and .NET 4.5 Windows...

It’s that time of the month again where I get to fill you in on what’s coming up on TechDays TV in May. Don’t forget – these sessions are LIVE and INTERACTIVE, bring the TechDays experience online. Ask questions and get them answered as if the expert was right there in the room with you! If you’re not able to tune in, the sessions will be available on-demand after the live show. Make sure you connect...

May 2, 2012 | 12:00 PM ET | Add to Outlook >> The D³ crew goes on location to Vancouver to bring you Scott Guthrie’s keynote from TechFest 2012 , Scott takes a step away from specific technologies and looks at industry trends for the developer. Plus: Scott provides a behind the scenes look at building a Cloud engineering team. Due to crazy delivery and travel schedules, Scott Guthrie will not...

The Canadian Developer Connection experience as you know it today consists of the blog and corresponding Twitter and Facebook pages. It also has a very active discussion group on LinkedIn where some of you are already networking and sharing your thoughts (if you’re not a member of the group yet, you’re invited! Join us .) and a monthly show, D³: LIVE & INTERACTIVE , with news, feature presentations...

TechDays TV brings you live TechDays sessions on the very latest in technical training topics. Developer-focused episodes are featured every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. These sessions are LIVE - watch the session, ask questions, and have them answered by the expert presenters. Sessions will then be available on-demand on TechDays Online after the live presentation. Join me on Tuesday at 12:00...

While I could probably turn this into a love story using people to metaphorically represent technologies, I’ll spare you from having to read that. But the story behind SharePoint and Windows Azure is truly one of those “better together" stories. They can each work (and work well) on their own, but when put together, the doors open for developers to extend the features of SharePoint by leveraging...

Guest post by D³: LIVE & INTERACTIVE guest Sue Varty . Have you done your homework? If not, download the worksheet and read Part 1 – it will help you complete the five steps below to implement your personal brand. Do you see any common threads or themes about what you’re all about in Part 1? This theme is important to keep in mind when you need to be consistent with everything you do online and...

A recently released IDC study talks about how the Cloud will deliver more than 70,000 jobs in Canada by 2015. Similarly, the D³: LIVE & INTERACTiVE special entitled Current IT Market Conditions and Hiring Trends in 2012 discussed the increasing need for developers to have Cloud Computing knowledge and skills here in Canada. The Cloud is where our industry is heading and with so much opportunity...

The Imagine Cup is a world wide Microsoft competition where we ask students to address problems faced around the world and use technology to help. Monday April 30th in Waterloo the top Canadian entries will be competing on stage at the Canadian Imagine Cup Finals! Come out and be inspired! It starts with an idea, a problem that inspires a student. It could be poverty, healthcare, the environment, hunger...

For many children, summer is not summer without going to camp – day camp, overnight camp, science camp, etc. Who’s with me when I say that it shouldn’t be any different for us adults? Clear your calendars because camp registration for Windows 8 mini-camps is now open! Choose a date that works best for you! The Windows 8 Mini-Camps are workshops full of technical sessions that dive into building Windows...

Its interesting to note that many folks don’t really know what it takes to get a feature in a browser and how all the browsers align with how a feature will work. You would think there is a cabal of browser vendors sitting in a smoke-filled room coming up with how features will work. That is not the case. In fact, the process is interesting. A browser feature can come from a variety of places but most...

Guest post by D³: LIVE & INTERACTIVE guest Sue Varty . Developers are often personally identified by the technology they use (or don't use). Also, people make assumptions about their skills and abilities based on their employer's brand. Whether you are full-time or on a contract, don't let people make assumptions about your skill-set. Start “positioning yourself” within your organization to influence...

You always here people say that what you wear says something about you – which of course is why developers love getting geeky t-shirts at events and workshops. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a whole collection of them from which I strategically pick t-shirts to wear depending on where I’m going and with whom I may potentially chat. Such a great conversation starter or statement maker, don’t you...

If you’ve seen any Microsoft commercial recently, you would have seen that our tagline is now “Be What’s Next.” What I love about this tagline is that it is open for each and every developer, company, partner, etc. to define what that means to them. Further, I love the fact that developers can use the various technologies that comprise the Microsoft platform, enabled by Visual Studio (especially with...

When was the last time, if at all, you had an educational experience (that you could use professionally!) at a movie theatre during the day? Or perhaps you think a professional educational experience at a movie theatre is an oxymoron. In either case, let’s change that! On May 1st , join the ObjectSharp gang (and myself , of course) for a three-part marathon you won’t want to miss – The Lord of TFS...