May, 2012

We try to provide a recap every once in a while about our free ebooks because they’re some of our most popular posts. Many of our free ebooks are offered in three formats - PDF, Mobi (Kindle) and epub. Updated; Nov 13, 2012                                         

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 High-Performance T-SQL Using Window Functions Available Now Inside Windows® Debugging: A Practical Guide to Debugging and Tracing Strategies in Windows® May 2012 (est.)                    Architecting Mobile Solutions for the Enterprise May 2012 (est.)            Working with Microsoft® Office 365: Running Your Small Business in the Cloud May 2012 (est.) Windows® Phone 7 Development Internals June 2012 (est.)         CompTIA Network+ Training Kit June 2012 (est.) Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010: Business Connectivity Services June 2012 (est.) MOS Study Guide for Microsoft® Office 365 June 2012 (est....

We’re happy to announce the availability of Architecting Mobile Solutions for the Enterprise , by the well-known and prolific author Dino Esposito. This book is an architectural guide to a paradigm shift. Paradigm shifts just happen—and mobile represents a big one. Mobile enables both new business scenarios and new ways of doing the same business, and the shift is affecting nearly everyone, meaning that writing mobile applications is a challenge that the vast majority of developers will face in the near future. Mobile refers to a variety of platforms, each with its own set of capabilities and features, and each of which requires significantly different skills: different operating systems, different programming languages, different APIs and even different computers. A mobile application is more...

We’re pleased to announce the release to manufacturing of the book Windows Phone 7 Development Internals , by Andrew Whitechapel, who is a senior member of the core Windows Phone Application Platform team. This book covers the breadth of application development for the Windows Phone 7 platform (both the major 7.0 and 7.1/7.5 versions and the minor 7.1.1 version). The book shows how you can build compelling and useful applications for Windows Phone, while providing detailed technical insights into the design of the application platform itself, which will help you build applications that are consistent with the strategic vision for Windows Phone. While you can build both XNA and Silverlight applications for the Windows Phone platform, this book focuses on developing Silverlight applications using...

We’re very pleased to announce that Penelope Coventry, Brett Lonsdale, and Phill Duffy’s book, Microsoft SharePoint 2010: Business Connectivity Services has shipped to the printer! Put your enterprise business data to work with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Business Connectivity Services—and create valuable business solutions with your team. Led by SharePoint experts Penelope Coventry, Brett Lonsdale, and Phill Duffy, you'll learn how to access external data from several sources and make informed decisions based on what you retrieve. Unlock your enterprise data and increase your productivity, using code and no-code solutions! You’ll discover how to connect to enterprise data with Microsoft SharePoint Designer or Visual Studio; access line-of-business data, data from...

We’re excited to announce the availability of Working with Microsoft Office 365: Running Your Small Business in the Cloud (ISBN: 9780735658998; 370 pages), by Brett Hill! As Brett makes clear in the book, the benefits of moving your business to the cloud are strong ones in terms of increased productivity and decreased operating costs. But small businesses rarely have on-site system administrators to make the move smooth and trouble-free. If that’s the case with your business, this book is a reference you won’t want to do without. Through extensive walkthroughs, easy-to-follow procedures, and real-world tips, you’ll learn how to implement Office 365 for professionals and small businesses—without having to be an IT expert. You’ll also gain valuable knowledge...

Effectively Perform Tasks and Solve Problems in Windows 7 From end users to IT pros, Microsoft Press has the ebooks you need to get the most out of Windows 7. For one week only, choose from a wide range of Microsoft Press ebooks on Windows 7 for 50% off the regular price. Learn to manage windows and folders, sort and filter files, create an efficient Windows working environment, and safely access the Internet. Microsoft Press's Windows 7 books will provide you with the information you need to get the most out of your operating system. O’Reilly Media is the official distributor of Microsoft Press books. Ebooks from oreilly.com are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates. Deal expires May 9, 2012 at 11:59pm PT and cannot be combined with other...

We’re pleased to announce the availability of the new book Inside Windows Debugging: A Practical Guide to Debugging and Tracing Strategies in Windows , by Tarik Soulami. Every once in a while, a technical book breaks new ground—and that’s exactly what this book does. Led by a member of the Windows Fundamentals Team at Microsoft, you’ll discover how to apply the same expert debugging and tracing techniques that Microsoft uses—and sharpen your C++ and C# code analysis skills—through practical examples and common scenarios. Learn why experienced developers use debuggers in every step of the development process, and not just after bugs appear. The complete table of contents appears below. You can find a sample chapter from the book here: http://cdn.oreilly...

We’re happy to announce the availability of Working with Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint , by Mikael Svenson, Marcus Johansson and Robert Piddocke Although SharePoint has always had search capabilities, those capabilities have been hugely improved by the addition of FAST Search for SharePoint (FS4SP). FS4SP provides a feature-rich alternative to the limited out-of-the-box search experience in SharePoint 2010, and can be extended to meet complex information retrieval requirements. If your organization is looking for a fully configurable and scalable search solution, Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint may be right for you. The book is aimed squarely at SharePoint architects and developers who are either actively implementing search solutions using FS4SP or who simply...

Microsoft Learning, MPN Capability Development, the Small Business Competency team and the Microsoft Office team bring you an exciting opportunity to learn to plan and deploy Office 365. As organizations recognize the benefits of providing users with anywhere-access to cloud-based email and scheduling, web conferencing, file sharing, collaboration and Office Web Apps at a low predictable monthly cost, demand for certified Office 365 expertise is climbing sharply in the enterprise and small business space. Leveraging the popular “Jump Start” virtual classroom approach, two of Microsoft’s most gifted Office 365 experts will lead an accelerated, engaging and demo-rich learning experience designed to teach Microsoft Partners and IT Pros the concepts and technologies covered on Microsoft exam 70...

Here’s the 9th post in our series of guest posts by Microsoft Most Valued Professionals (MVPs). Since the early 1990s, Microsoft has recognized technology champions around the world with the MVP Award . MVPs freely share their deep knowledge, real-world experience, and impartial and objective feedback to help people enhance the way they use technology . Of more than 100 million users who participate in technology communities, around 4,000 are recognized as Microsoft MVPs. This post is by Akfash Ahamed Abdul Latibu , who is a Windows Expert IT Pro MVP in Brunei. Thanks, Akfash! Windows Intune is a cloud-based PC management solution for small- and medium-sized businesses. As an administrator, whether you’re in an office, a branch office, or at home, you can always manage your client computers...

A quick note to let you know that our special-offer period for Charles Petzold’s Programming Windows, Sixth Edition , has begun. From May 17-31, you can order the ebook for $10, and you’ll receive three versions of the ebook as it is developed over time. You can read about the offer and find a link to the purchase page here .

The following review is republished here with the permission of Robert L. Glass . The review appears in the May-June 2012 issue (Volume 22, No. 3) of The Software Practitioner , a bimonthly newsletter “written by and for people who build software for a living.” (Thank you, Bob!) Software Change Management: Case Studies and Practical Advice By Donald J. Reifer Published by Microsoft Press, 2012 Review by Robert L. Glass The most quickly informative part of this book is its subtitle. It is about case studies that describe major change activities. And wondrous case studies they are. They’re not just simple little goody-goody stories about how change has been accomplished. They are instead stories of criticalchange activities of our time, hitting the hot button issues of the 2010s – such things...

We’re very pleased to announce that Craig Zacker’s book, CompTIA Network+ Training Kit (Exam N10-005) has shipped to the printer! Ace your preparation for the CompTIA Network+ Exam N10-005 with this 2-in-1 Training Kit from Microsoft Press. Work at your own pace through a series of concepts, tasks, and practical exercises, and then assess your network service/support technician skills with the online practice test—featuring multiple, customizable testing options to meet your specific needs. Your Training Kit includes: · In-depth coverage of all 5 CompTIA Network+ domains in Exam N10-005 · Instructive real-world scenarios to enhance your performance on the job · Hundreds of practice and review questions · Online practice tests to help...

Build Powerful Database Solutions with Access Save 50% – One Week Only Learn the secrets of this powerful database program so you can use your data in creative ways -- from creating product catalogs and publishing information online to producing invoices and reports. Buy from our official distributor, O’Reilly Media. Ebooks from oreilly.com are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates.   Deal expires May 17, 2012 at 11:59pm PT and cannot be combined with other offers. Click here to view the promotional page Microsoft Access 2010 Step by Step Was: $22.99 Now: $11.49 (Save 50%) Microsoft Access 2010 Inside Out Was: $43.99 Now: $21.99 (Save 50%) Microsoft Access 2010 VBA Programming Inside Out Was: $39.99 Now: $19.99 (Save 50%) MOS 2010 Study Guide for Microsoft...

Maximize Windows 7 From end users to IT pros, Microsoft Press has the ebooks you need to get the most out of Windows 7. Choose from a wide range of Microsoft Press ebooks on Windows 7 for 50% off the regular price.  Purchase from our official distributor, O’Reilly Media. Ebooks from oreilly.com are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates. Deal expires May 9, 2012 at 11:59pm PT and cannot be combined with other offers. Click here to see the full list Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition Was: $47.99 Now: $23.99 (Save 50%) Windows 7 Inside Out Was: $39.99 Now: $19.99 (Save 50%) Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out Was: $31.99 Now: $15.99 (Save 50%) Windows 7 Resource Kit Was: $55.99 Now: $27.99 (Save 50%) The Best of Windows 7: The Official Magazine Was...