Architecture: The Harmony of Mathematical Precision...

Just Released - The Windows 7 RC Training Kit for Developers!

The Windows 7 Training Kit for Developers includes presentations, hands-on labs, and demos. This content is based on Windows 7 RC and provides an early peak to our final training.

This training kit is designed to help you learn how to build applications that shine on Windows 7 by utilizing key features such as:

• Taskbar
• Libraries
• Multi Touch
• Sensors and Location
• Ribbon
• Trigger Start Services
• Instrumentation and ETW
• Application Compatibility

You can download the training kit here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=12100526-ed26-476b-8e20-69662b8546c1

Windows 7 for Developers and Architects

Thanks to everybody who came out to my recent presentations on Windows 7 for Developers and Architects...there are certainly a ton of great new features & capabilities baked into the platform.  Here's the short list of the topics we discussed:

• Programming the Windows 7 Task bar
• Jump Lists
• Thumbnails
• Libraries
• Federated Search
• The Ribbon
• Windows Web Services
• Background Services & Tasks
• Multi-Touch
• Sensor & Location Platform

You can download a copy of my Windows 7 presentation and all the cool demos at:

http://cid-e80ea9288abd4452.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Windows%207

Enjoy!

Azure for Architects - Recent Updates

Thanks to everyone who came out for my recent talks on Azure for Architects - there has been some great new developments in the last few months for the Windows Azure platform.

You can find my recent Azure presentation and walk-thru's here:

http://cid-e80ea9288abd4452.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/Azure%7C_Updates

I'm really excited about some of the "hidden gems" that are in the stack that seem to solve some of the most challenging issues folks face in building distributed web applications - much less ones that are hosted in the clouds.  Here's a few highlights:

Access Control:

You can implement Azure Access Control constructs down to the method invocation level by using a helper class "AccessControlHelper.Demand ActionClaim" to require that users are properly authenticated in order to call your methods. 

Note how this simple calculator service below implements the "DemandActionClaim" on each of the methods:

In the Azure Access Control Portal, you set-up specific Input and Output claims to determine what actions are allowed by an authenticated user.

Here are the specific Input Claim requirements:

and the Output Claim requirements:

The final ACL ( Access Control List):

 

when you run this demo, note how the "Subtract" operation fails with an "Access Denied" message - due to the fact that there was no specific access given to the  "Subtract" operation on the Azure Access Control Portal:

 

Hybrid Direct Connections:

Okay, this one is really cool - the ability to automatically detect and "upgrade" the network connection speeds...the NetTcpRelayBinding can be configured to support the Hybrid/Direct connection mode which first establishes a relayed connection, and if possible, switches automatically to a direct connection between a client and service.

Note how in the example below, the connection is automatically upgraded to remove the use of a relay - the number of messages processed jumps almost 10X!  

NET RIA Services: Building Data-Driven Business Applications with Microsoft Silverlight3 and Microsoft ASP.NET

Thanks to everyone who came out to hear my presentation at the South Florida Architects meeting last night. Here is a link to my presentation and the cool demos:  http://cid-e80ea9288abd4452.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/RIA%7C_Services

To quickly re-cap, Microsoft .NET RIA Services (aka "Alexandria") simplifies the traditional n-tier application pattern by bringing together the ASP.NET and Silverlight platforms.

RIA Services provides a pattern to write application logic that runs on the mid-tier and controls access to data for queries, changes and custom operations. It also provides end-to-end support for common tasks such as data validation, authentication and roles by integrating with Silverlight components on the client and ASP.NET on the mid-tier.

I'm personally excited about what this framework has to offer and how it elegantly solves some of the major issues that have plagued most software developers and architects over the years when they sit down to design and develop a distributed web "business" application. 

Designing a rock-solid, "data-centric", N-Tier web application is tough - especially when you throw in the ability to handle off-line scenarios...the capabilities exposed by the .NET RIA Services framework looks very promising as a reusable  framework and pattern that should really increase developer productivity and shorten application delivery cycles.

To get started, I *highly recommend* checking out the 2 MIX sessions / blog posts below by Brad Abrams and Nikhil Kothari...if you develop RIA applications for a living - it will be the best 150 minutes you have ever spent!

Brad Abrams’ MIX09 Session:
http://videos.visitmix.com/MIX09/T40F
http://blogs.msdn.com/brada/archive/2009/03/17/mix09-building-amazing-business-applications-with-silverlight-3.aspx

Nikhil Kothari’s MIX09 Session:
http://videos.visitmix.com/MIX09/T41F
http://www.nikhilk.net/NET-RIA-Services-Vision-Architecture.aspx

Announcing the PHP SDK for Windows Azure

The PHP SDK for Windows Azure: The goal of the SDK is to provide high-level abstractions that enable PHP developers to interoperate readily with Windows Azure

http://phpazure.codeplex.com/

 

and a series of projects that offer samples and toolkit that enable PHP developers to easily include in their web applications the Microsoft technologies:

• http://silverlightphp.codeplex.com/,

• http://webslicesandaccelphp.codeplex.com/,

• http://sqlcrudphpwizard.codeplex.com/,

• http://virtualearthphpkit.codeplex.com/

All of this is available now.

Check the overview: http://blogs.msdn.com/interoperability/archive/2009/05/13/announcing-php-sdk-for-windows-azure-and-much-more.aspx

SQL Server 2008 Developer Training Kit Now Available

SQL Server 2008 offers an impressive array of capabilities for developers that build upon key innovations introduced in SQL Server 2005.  The SQL Server 2008 Developer Training Kit will help you understand how to build web applications which deeply exploit the rich data types, programming models and new development paradigms in SQL Server 2008.  You can download it here: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9665942

Overview and Benefits

The training kit offers the following benefits:

• Learn how to build web applications that exploit the unique features and capabilities of SQL Server 2008.

• Provides a comprehensive set of presentations, demos and hands-on labs

• Designed for web developers who are already familiar with SQL Server application development.

• Easy to download and install and works on free editions of SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008.

Software Requirements

The following software is not included with the training kit and must be downloaded and installed separately. 

• SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services (or higher-level SKU)

• Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2008 Express (or higher-level SKU)

• AdventureWorks 2008 Sample Databases

Intended Audience

The training kit is designed for Web developers and consultants who build applications for the Microsoft platform.

 

Contents

The training kit includes the following content:

Presentations (6)

• Filestream

• Spatial

• T-SQL

• Date and Time Types

• SQLCLR

• Reporting Services

Demos (13)

• AdventureWorks Racing All-Up SQL Server 2008 Demo

• SQL Server 2008 All-Up Spatial Demo

• Spatial Types Demo

• Intro to Filestream Demo

• SQL CLR Nullable Types Demo

• Programming with Filestream Demo

• Reporting Services Web Application Integration Demo

• Date and Time Support in SQL Server 2008 Demo

• T-SQL Table-Valued Parameters Demo

• T-SQL Row Constructors Demo

• T-SQL Grouping Sets Demo

• T-SQL Merge Demo

• Trasact-SQL

Hands-on Labs   (3)

• Using Spatial Data in TSQL

• Using Spatial Data in Managed Code
• Using SQL CLR in SQL Server 2008 

Microsoft .NET Services - New White Papers Released

Looking for more information on the Azure .NET Services and how you can get started? A new set of white papers has just been released that helps to demystify these important new services concepts and how you can get started developing your own Azure projects using these services: 

• An Introduction to Microsoft .NET Services for Developers. This overview paper introduces Microsoft® .NET Services, each of its building block services, and how they fit together.
  
• A Developer’s Guide to the Microsoft® .NET Access Control Service. This whitepaper shows developers how to use a claims-based identity model and the Microsoft® .NET Access Control Service – part of the Microsoft® .NET Services family – to implement single sign-on, federated identity, and role based access control in Web applications and services.
  
• A Developer’s Guide to the Microsoft® .NET Service Bus. This whitepaper shows developers how to use the .NET Service Bus – part of the Microsoft® .NET Services family – to provide a secure, standards-based messaging fabric to connect applications across the Internet.
  
• A Developer’s Guide to the Microsoft® .NET Workflow Service. This whitepaper provides details about the Microsoft® .NET Workflow Service, its relation to Windows Workflow Foundation, and what developers need to know to begin building workflows for the cloud. It not only explains the current tools and capabilities but also outlines the vision for future releases.

These work with the Azure Tools for Visual Studio 2008 (March CTP) - you can download them from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5057e2b3-c8e5-4b26-a601-ff9621589ce3&DisplayLang=en

Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) Presentation - "Current Trends in Software Application Development"

A big thanks to all the local AOIT High School students who came to my presentation today at the 3rd Annual Student Industry Conference presented by the Academy of Information Technology + Miami-Dade County Public Schools! 

The topic of my talk centered around a discussion of "what are the current software application development trends" that are impacting the industry today.  You can download a copy of the presentation at: http://cid-e80ea9288abd4452.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/AOIT

To quickly re-cap, here's a list of the topics we discussed:

 
And be sure to ask your local AOIT administrator to sign-up your High School for the Microsoft DreamSpark program at www.DreamSpark.com/HighSchool

As an enrolled High School student, this program will allow you to download some really great software (for free) to help you get started developing applications - and on your path to a successful career in the field of Information Technology.

 

MSDN TIKI HUT Road Show - New Tour Coming in June

           

That's right, the .NET TIKIHUT tour is back - just in time for the start of the 2009 Florida Hurricane season!

For more details - check out the Official MSDN TIKI HUT Road Show web site: www.DotNetTIKIHUT.com

Menu at the Hut

 

Session 1: Developing on Microsoft Windows 7

Building applications that are easy to use, visually appealing, and offer high performance is a challenge that developers face every day. Innovative applications can greatly improve the user experience, empowering companies to differentiate their services and solutions. However, developers are increasingly asked to do more in less time, while also optimizing the power and performance requirements of their applications. The Windows 7 platform makes it easy for developers to create engaging, user-friendly applications by providing familiar tools and rich development features that allow them to take advantage of the latest PC capabilities. In this session we will explore the new Taskbar and Jump Lists, the Scenic Ribbon, file management with Libraries, and Windows Web Services among many other enhancements to the new operating system.

 

Session 2: What’s New in Internet Explorer 8 for Developers

With any new browser release, there are two questions of interest to most web developers:
1.Will this release break my site, and if so, how do I fix it?
2. What shiny new features does it offer to add value for my visitors?

In this session, we’ll address both of these questions, first showing how developers and users both benefit from improved standards-based rendering in Internet Explorer 8, and how developers can ensure that their sites will render properly for users using IE8. Additionally, we’ll take a look at some of the new features of Internet Explorer 8 that open up new possibilities for web developers, including Accelerators, Web Slices, and Search Providers, as well as AJAX and DOM improvements. Accelerators are helpers added to the browser that allow users to access your web-based services from anywhere, via a simple right-click on any page. Web Slices allow you to designate parts of your application for the user to consume and keep up-to-date in the browser without having to visit the full site. You can leverage these features to add value to your site and make it easier than ever for users to take advantage of the services and content you have to offer.

We'll also look at the new Internet Explorer 8 Developer Tools, which provides you with killer tools for examining and debugging your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, all without ever leaving the page, plus profiling for finding and fixing the performance bottlenecks in your client-side code. The IE 8 Developer Tools also aid in compatibility testing, by allowing you to change the layout and compatibility modes on the fly. Lastly we’ll look at some best practices.

Event Dates and Registration

Jacksonville - Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 1:00PM - 5:00PM
Jacksonville Community College - Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts
11901 Beach Blvd
Jacksonville, FL 32246
Jacksonville, FL 32246
Event ID: 1032415088

Register NOW: https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032415088&culture=en-US

Tampa - Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 1:00 - 5:00 PM
Microsoft Tampa Office
5426 Bay center Dr., Suite 700
Tampa, FL 33609
Event ID: 1032415091

Register NOW: https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032415091&culture=en-US

Ft. Lauderdale - Monday, June 15, 2009, 1:00 - 5:00 PM
Microsoft Ft. Lauderdale Office
6750 North Andrews Ave., Suite 400
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Event ID: 1032415092

Register NOW: https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032415092&culture=en-US

Windows 7 Release candidate (RC) - Now available for MSDN & TechNet Subscribers

Windows 7 RC is now available to Microsoft TechNet/MSDN subscribers, and on May 5th it will be available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows7 for partners, IT pros, and tech enthusiasts to pilot Windows 7 RC at work and at home. 

Here's the scoop on the Win7 details:

Why upgrade to Windows 7 RC?

•	Several new features, including XP VPC, are available in the RC build of Windows 7. Also, you will experience continued improvements in overall system performance and polish.
•	If you are using Windows 7 Beta, migrating to Windows 7 RC will avoid the July 7, 2009, beta expiration date. Failure to migrate before the beta expiration date will cause frequent system reboot prompts.
•	There will be no limits on the number of keys provided or the number of Windows 7 RC downloads supported, and we anticipate that RC downloads will be available at least through June 2009.

What is the recommended path to migrate to Windows 7 RC?
The recommended path to migrate to Windows 7 RC depends on what operating system you are currently running:

Current OS Recommended Path to Windows 7 RC Windows XP If your hardware meets the minimum recommendations for Windows 7, we recommend you do a clean install of Windows 7 RC when available. The recommended minimum hardware for Windows 7 Beta can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-faq.aspx. (Hardware recommendations will be roughly the same for RC.) Windows Vista We recommend you upgrade to Windows 7 RC. Windows 7 Beta We strongly recommend you do a clean install of Windows 7 RC when available. You do not need to first reinstall Windows Vista and then upgrade to Windows 7 RC.

In all of these scenarios, the Windows Easy Transfer tool can be used to make it easier to restore files and settings after a clean install.

When will the final version of Windows 7 be available?
The final engineering milestone is the release to manufacturing (RTM), typically 3-5 months after the RC. We believe the product is high quality and to date have received very positive feedback. This might result in RTM delivery before the 3-5 months timeframe. Ultimately, you'll decide the quality and assess the delivery once you download and use the RC. Customer and partner feedback will determine how quickly we release.

How will Microsoft collect and use feedback from Windows 7 RC?
With this release, we are focused on verifying that all the changes and fixes we made based on the beta tests and feedback are working correctly. We do that by gathering the automatically generated information (called telemetry) that your PC sends us when you use Windows 7 RC. Telemetry tells us when your computer hangs, crashes, or has performance issues, and what applications or devices you were using when you experienced problems. It is important that we gather this data from thousands of different hardware configurations to confirm that the fixes we included based on beta feedback work on a wide range of hardware. It will also help us identify any new problems.

Enterprise Developer Conference - Streaming Live Sessions

The Enterprise Developer and Solutions Conference will provide developers, architects and key business decision makers in large enterprise organizations a clear roadmap of the Microsoft Application Platform. Hear directly from Microsoft’s customers and partners on:

• Cloud Computing in the Enterprise
• Application Life Cycle Management
• Creating Impact with Silverlight, WPF and Surface

Can't make it to New York City on May 5th & 6th?

For those of you who cannot attend the conference in person in New York City, we have the proud pleasure of our first ever live streamed event with content hosted for 1 year beyond the event. 

For more information and to check out the streaming sessions visit: http://entdevcon.istreamplanet.com/sessions.asp

ARCast.TV - Enabling Web Slices on Your Web Site

Web Slices are a new IE8 feature that allows users to subscribe to some parts of a web page and receive updates automatically. In this screen cast, Zhiming Xue (Dr. “Z”), Microsoft Architect Evangelist, demonstrates through two simple examples how developers can easily create web applications that enable users to subscribe to select contents on a web page using the new IE8 feature, Web Slices. For additional resources about web slices are available at IE8 Readiness Toolkit and IE Developer Center.

Enabling Web Slices On Your Web Site

ARCast.TV - Enabling Accelerators on Your Web Site

Accelerators are a new IE8 feature that enables users to find and access information without leaving the web page. In this screen cast, Zhiming Xue (Dr. “Z”), Microsoft Architect Evangelist, demonstrates how developers can make an accelerator available in web applications so that users can install and use it. For additional resources about web slices are available at IE8 Readiness Toolkit and OpenService Accelerators Developer Guide.

Enabling Accelerators On Your Web Site

 

ProDev Briefing for Application Development Partners - Tampa 04/14/2009

Microsoft Partners face more challenges today than ever.  With restrictions on IT budgets and a concomitant demand for higher levels of service, there has never been a better time for partners to refocus on the fundamental value opportunities presented by Microsoft’s platform architecture and strategic roadmap. 

Please join us for the ProDev Briefing for Application Development Partners where we will be discussing how Partners can align themselves with our platform to add greater value today and prepare themselves for new business opportunities coming in the near future.  Partners will participate with Microsoft experts in 4 talks, each covering a key pillar of Microsoft’s platform strategy.

Platform 2009: The Client
Microsoft’s client platform encompasses multiple technologies and user experience offerings.  This session will cover WPF, Silverlight, IE 8, Microsoft Office and Mobility and will help partners identify current and future opportunities to leverage the power of the client.  

Microsoft’s Server Platform
Microsoft provides partners with a first class platform on the server that supports mission critical, enterprise solutions.  This session will cover IIS, SQL Server 2008 and SharePoint 2007 and will ensure that partners are prepared to leverage the power of the Microsoft server platform to its fullest.

2009 Services Platform: Azure, Live Mesh and Live Services
Cloud Computing and Platform as a Service (PaaS) are technology concepts that are becoming reality as a perfect storm of business needs and vendor investments come together.  This session will discuss how partners can leverage the Cloud with Microsoft technologies that create a true platform for utility computing.

The Platform for Application Lifecycle Management
Microsoft partners continually demonstrate that they deliver first class services and products.  Comprehensive ALM allows partners to continue to deliver these offerings with greater speed, efficiency and oversight.  This session will cover Visual Studio 2008 and Team Foundation Server and how they form a platform for ALM that

Please join us on Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Welcome Time: 8:30 AM - 1:00 pm

Microsoft Tampa Office

5426 Bay Center Dr
Suite 700 Tampa Florida 33609
United States

Register Now:

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032404553&Culture=en-US

Post-MIX Lap Around Azure Deck

Following the announcements last week at the MIX conference in Las Vegas, I have updated my Lap around Azure deck with some of the more important announcements that were made last week:

• FastCGI allows developers to deploy and run web applications written with non-Microsoft programming languages such as PHP .
• .NET Full Trust Removes limitations on .NET Libraries that require full trust (including .NET Services), , via a spawning process and p/invoke. .NET Full Trust also enables developers to invoke native code or legacy components.
• Geolocation provides developers with the ability to specify a location for their applications and data. This capability enables developers to build responsive services with lower network latency and to meet location-based regulatory and legal requirements.
• SQL Data Services - moving to a full relational database model and support of TDS :-)
• High-level roadmap and timelines for Azure.

  You can find the updated deck in my Skydrive folder here.