Recently, a new case study was released highlight the benefits that ADAM saw from implementing VSTS.

Dutch: http://www.microsoft.com/belux/nl/cases/?case=adam

French: http://www.microsoft.com/belux/fr/cases/?case=adam

Adam is a software house active in the sector of Digital Asset Management. They engaged with Compuware to introduce Visual Studio Team System to their developer team and implement VSTS as a the toolset that supports their Application Lifecycle.

As expected they are seeing a lot of benefits from it. They automated a lot of tasks which would otherwise be executed manually – like the build process – and find it much easier now to switch between projects. Read the cases study to find out about the other advantages they are seeing.

(In the picture on the left Pieter Gheysens and on the right Michael Vanhoutte).

Read more: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/06/microsoft-offers-windows-7-compatibility-tech-support-free.ars

Windows 7 RTM: 2nd half of July

Windows 2008 R2 RTM: same timeframe

Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program: soon

Windows 7 General Availability: October 22nd.

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windows7/archive/2009/06/02/the-date-for-general-availability-ga-of-windows-7-is.aspx

The announcement…

Microsoft is pleased to announce the public availability of the Beta release for the Windows 7 Software Logo Toolkit.  The toolkit allows ISVs to submit and receive the “Compatible with Windows 7” logo for their products.

Improvements, including self-test for applications, instant approval of passing applications, and a streamlined waiver process dramatically speed up the logo testing and the submission process. Fees for logo submissions have also been eliminated. 

As a valued logo partner, the “Compatible with Windows 7” program also offers a variety of benefits including co-branding, MS partner points, and premier placement on a variety of online consumer facing sites.

Here are a few simple steps towards getting started:

1. Download the Beta logo toolkit here: https://connect.microsoft.com/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?SiteID=831&DownloadID=19072
NOTE: this link also includes the logo requirements document, toolkit release notes, a toolkit user’s guide, and an overview of the submission process.

2. Submit the test report from the toolkit via: https://winqual.microsoft.com.

3. If a waiver is needed for a failing test case from the toolkit report, the streamlined waiver process can be initiated by completing the online form at the following link:
https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/CreateFeedbackForm.aspx?FeedbackFormConfigurationID=3419&FeedbackType=3&SiteID=831&wa=wsignin1.0

Some additional information you may find helpful:

· Logo artwork and marketing guides can be downloaded from http://winqual.microsoft.com immediately once the following has been completed:

o The passing logo report is submitted and the logo policies are accepted

o The Software Logo License Agreement is signed online

· Instructions on how to perform the two manual tests can be found in the release notes.

· Windows 7 Logo Waiver/Exception Request: https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/CreateFeedbackForm.aspx?FeedbackFormConfigurationID=3419&FeedbackType=3&SiteID=831

· Only test results generated by the Beta release of the toolkit can be used to submit for the logo

· Additional frequently asked questions (FAQ) and the corresponding answers are maintained at the following location:

o Technical FAQ:
https://connect.microsoft.com/content/content.aspx?ContentID=11911&SiteID=831

o Business FAQ:
https://connect.microsoft.com/content/content.aspx?ContentID=11912&SiteID=831

Please note, now that we are now accepting officially logo submissions we are no longer accepting logo prequalifications.

We look forward to your participation in the Windows 7 Software Logo program.  

http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/WindowsAPICodePack/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=2636

Today all new features in Windows 7 can only be accessed through WIN32. With .NET 4.0 a lot of it will be exposed through WPF 4 etc… but for some features you’ll need interop.

This code pack is a great help. Check it out.

When I first heard about Web Slices, I wasn’t excited. Then I saw Kris Amerijckx (kidpaddle on twitter) announce that he implemented Web Slices on MSN.be so I checked it out. To my own surprise, I’m still using it after more than a week.

It’s pretty cool to get the MSN news straight form my favorites bar in IE8. Heck, I wish my newspaper (De Standaard) did the same.

The only thing I fear is that I will be running out of space on my favorites so I still need to see if there’s a solution for that.

If you haven’t tested it already. Here’s how it works.

1. Browse to a page with web slices on it. For instance www.msn.be

2. add the web slice

3. use the web slice from your favorites bar

Putting a slice on your page seems to be pretty light weight: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc304073(VS.85).aspx This is the HTML you will need.

<div class="hslice" id="slice1">
   <p class="entry-title">Game System - $66.00</p>
   <div class="entry-content">
      <img src="game.jpg">
      <p>Auction ends: <abbr class="endtime" title="2008-02-28T12:00:00-05:00">6 hours</abbr></p>
   </div>
   <a rel="feedurl" href="www.ebay.com/game.xml">Subscribe to Feed</a>
   <p>This item updates every <span class="ttl">15</span> minutes.</p>
</div>

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa511258.aspx

There are quite a few new UI featuers and UI changes in Windows 7. Enough to check out out the Windows User Experience Interaction Guidelines I bleive which has been updated with information about the new jumplists, touch and more.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=752CB725-969B-4732-A383-ED5740F02E93&displaylang=en

Check out the training kit for more information about WPF 4.0 features to tap into Windows 7 and much much more.

Hans

Many of the ISV’s I meet operate in a 'best of breed’ vertical where customers mix and match solutions from different vendors. This brings very clear challenges to the table. How does your solution integrate best with other solutions and also how do you manage identities in this heterogeneous environments.

Here’s a toolkit to train yourself or you developers on some this latter issue of identity management.

The Identity Developer Training Kit is a set of hands-on labs and resources designed to help developers to take advantage of Microsoft’s identity products and services. Being designed for developers, the kit focuses on the Geneva Framework: however it also gives guidance on how to take advantage of Geneva Server, Windows Live ID, the Microsoft Federation Gateway and the .NET Access Control Service (which is featured in a renewed and expanded lab). Most of the tasks are demonstrated both for ASP.NET web applications and for WCF services. We went to great lengths for eliminating as much as possible the friction that is traditionally associated with security samples, by providing configuration scripts and tools which automate many of the setup steps.

I’m really glad to see this type of content being produced as I know it addresses some of the key issues Belgian ISV’s are facing.

This is by far the most comprehensive page I have seen for those developing software or hardware that will be compatible with Windows 7.

http://www.readyset7.com/

I copied some parts below that should convince you to check the site out…

 

	Software
Opt-In to Receive Updates	Software Logo Newsletter
Review the Documentation	Software Requirements
Download the Toolkit	Software Logo Toolkit
Test and Submit for the Logo	Program Details

 

and…

Get listed in the Windows 7 Compatibility Center and reach millions
Today, millions of customers and sales professionals use the Windows Vista Compatibility Center to discover compatible devices and applications. Soon, we will be launching the Windows 7 Compatibility Center.
Be sure your products get listed in the Windows 7 Compatibility Center by submitting your compatibility status directly to the Compatibility Center Team

Great resources here: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/windows-7/default.mspx#BOOKS

Reposting from Neno Loje’s Blog for my own reference:

Planning

• Visual Studio Team System 2008 Licensing White Paper (pdf/xps/docx)
• Team Development with Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Guide (pdf/book)
• Team System Web Access 2008 Scalability Limits White Paper (pdf/xps/docx)

Installation, Configuration & Administration

• Team Foundation Installation Guide for Visual Studio Team System 2008 (chm)
• Administration Guide for Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Foundation Server (chm)
• Operations Guidance for Team Foundation Server (online)

Requirements Management

• Requirements Management with Visual Studio Team System White Paper (pdf/xps/docx)

Version Control

• TFS Branching Guide 2.0 (pdf/zip)

All of MIX presentations in a deepzoom collection. On the left you can click on Start Video and immediate watch the recording of the session.

http://mix.zoomery.com/

Downloads are available here

- for MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/evalcenter/bb190709.aspx

- Technet: http://technet.microsoft.com/evalcenter/bb727242.aspx

Some applications you just don’t want to bring forward to a newer version of Windows. That’s perfectly normal. Every ISV typically has a popular version of their application that they left behind some time ago. Not a single developer left on the team who has experience with that code base let alone with a motivation to look at it again.

Of course you (the ISV) also like to upgrade/upsell all of your customers to the newer version. The one you are making compatible with Windows 7. But some customers will demand that they can stay on their old version of your application while moving to Windows 7.

Good news is that Windows 7 will offer tools to do exactly this. They are Windows XP Mode for small business and MED-V for medium and large business.

Basically both provide a virtual machine environment to run legacy applications in. But the great thing is that users don’t see that the application is running in a virtual PC as XP Mode and Med-V integrates seamlessly with the host OS.

The main difference is that with XP Mode you will need to install everything from the Windows 7 desktop while with MED-V lets you centrally manage all of this.

Windows XP Mode

https://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/default.aspx

- Windows XP Mode will be available as part of Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate.

- Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 makes it easy to install and run your Windows XP applications directly from your Windows 7-based PC. It utilizes virtualization technology, such as Windows Virtual PC, to provide a virtual Windows XP environment for Windows 7.

- Windows Virtual PC is the latest Microsoft virtualization technology for Windows 7. It is the runtime engine for Windows XP Mode to provide a virtual Windows environment for Windows 7. With Windows Virtual PC, Windows XP Mode applications can be seen and accessed from a Windows 7 desktop.

- To install applications in Windows XP Mode, you start by selecting Virtual Windows XP from the Windows 7 Start menu.

- You can install applications in Windows XP Mode just as you normally would on a physical PC. For example, you can install applications via web, from storage devices, or from physical media such as CD/DVD.

- To run your application directly from the Windows 7 desktop, just go to your Start menu.

MED-V adds management to XP Mode

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/business/archive/2009/04/28/how-med-v-v2-helps-you-manage-windows-xp-mode.aspx

Here’s a great quote:

Belgacom Group – “MED-V saves us time in standardizing our desktop across the multiple entities of the Belgacom group…With thousands of users in our environment, MED-V will significantly reduce the time required for testing and migrating the applications we have.“

Project templates for VSTS:Templex: http://www.codeplex.com/templex

Branching guidelines: http://www.codeplex.com/BranchingGuidance

VSTS Roadshow next week: http://www.microsoft.com/belux/msdn/nl/alm/

Good post:

http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/05/03/microsoft-confirms-final-windows-7-system-requirements

Certified and Gold Certified partners can get access to the WDT.

http://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID= 2978&SiteID=409&InvitationID= WDT-TDGR-8H8H

This toolkit makes it much easier to set up a Windows 7 machine with consumer and enterprise demo scenarios.

It should be clear to everyone that Windows 7 is getting ready for business! Since last Friday, the Release Candidate can be downloaded by developers and IT Professionals on MSDN and Technet and soon all enthusiasts will be able to download the RC too.

It’s exciting to see so much enthusiasm and read many positive reviews on the product. This makes it even more important to get your (the ISV) solution ready for Windows 7.

The Windows 7 Application Quality Cookbook is your first resource: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371778(VS.85).aspx This guide will tell you where the changes are. Even though applications running on Vista should run as such on Windows 7, it still makes good sense to check and be sure.

We also made it as easy as possible to get the Windows 7 Logo for your applications. Read this guide as a starter: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9630189

For Belgian ISV’s, contact me if you have any related questions.

Hans

Here’s an event well worth reserving some time for. Please note that the time notation is UTC so you need to add 1 hour to get CET. So the keynotes start at 16:00.

http://www.windowspartnerreadinessday.com/isvihv.html

http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/dd565874.aspx

If part of your solution is webpages then you need to check out Expression SuperPreview. It will make testing pages across multiple browsers and browser-versions much much easier. You can download the trial.

This is the time when a lot of our 2010 products are having some important pre-RTM releases. Exchange is one of them with a public Beta.http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/en/us/default.aspx

There is lots of goodness there. Of course, personally, I’m mostly interested in the features that will help me manage my Inbox from hell more efficiently.

Improve user productivity with the ultimate inbox experience. Basex Inc. recently estimated that the average number of corporate e-mail messages received per person per day is expected to reach more than 93 by 2010. In addition, businesses lose $650 billion annually in productivity due to unnecessary interruptions including those from e-mail (Basex, 2008). Exchange 2010, together with Microsoft Outlook 2010, will give people more control over their communications with features such as these:

-MailTips. Warn users before they commit an e-mail faux pas such as sending mail to large distribution groups, to recipients who are out of the office or to recipients outside the organization, helping protect against information leaks and reduce unnecessary e-mail messages.

-Voice Mail Preview. See text previews of voice mail directly in Outlook.

-Ignore Conversation. This e-mail “mute button” allows people to remove themselves from an irrelevant e-mail string, reducing unwanted e-mail and runaway reply-all threads.

-Conversation View. Combine related e-mail messages in a single conversation to reduce inbox clutter.

-Call Answering Rules. Create customized “Press 1 for …” call-routing menus with Exchange voice mail.

-Consistent Experience. Use Outlook on the PC, a mobile phone or a browser for the same experience with enhancements in Outlook Mobile and Outlook Web Access.

I see a lot of ISV’s using SCRUM. With nice whiteboards showing from a distance where a team stands in their current sprint.

If you haven’t gotten started on SCRUM yet and have just a couple of minutes, then the wikipedia article is a great place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(development)

Interesting also is how VSTS and SCRUM integrate. Having a whiteboard and wiki is great but doesn’t mean that an integrated ALM system doesn’t offer added value anymore.

There are tools available that looks really interesting. Did you know about these? Have you tried them?

- http://www.codeplex.com/VSTSScrum

- http://scrumforteamsystem.com/en/

At TechDays, Joel Semenuik delivered a presentation on this topic which I’m looking forward to seeing online (soon I’m told).

Joel Semeniuk
Lean Principles, Agile Techniques, and Team System
read more

Lean Software Development, inspired by Lean Product Development, is asking us to look at how we approach software and focus our efforts on eliminating waste. In this session we will explore the 7 key principles of Lean Software Development as well as map these principles to agile development and management tools and techniques that you can use today. In this session we will also show you how tools found in Visual Studio Team System can support your lean processes.

I was taught that documenting the code is almost as important as a writing it.

On this site you find some hilarious comments: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/184618/what-is-the-best-comment-in-source-code-you-have-ever-encountered

Like this one:

//When I wrote this, only God and I understood what I was doing
//Now, God only knows


Or:

try

{
}

finally

{

// should never happen
}

Next week I’ll be speaking at the Application Lifecycle Management event organized by QFrame and eXertus.

The event has a very nice agenda for those getting started ALM and Visual Studio Team System.

Interesting touch is that attendees get a consultancy session afterwards  where an assessment is made on how ALM would help them.

Date: Tuesday April 28th 2009 @ 13h30
Location: Pullman Hotel, Brussels Airport