Jim O'Neil's Blog : New York

Troy (NY & area): Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts

joneil — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:55:47 GMT

It’s going to be a busy week in the capital area of New York next week, and a great time to get knee deep in all things technical!

Tech Valley Code Camp – Saturday, Nov. 7th at SUNY Albany

There’s 20 sessions and over 100 signed up thus far! I hope to see you there as I deliver my “7 on 7” spiel.

Tech Valley User Group – Tuesday, Nov. 10th at VersaTrans in Latham

For the group’s monthly meeting, Rob Fisch, Director of Global Technology at Kaz, Inc, is speaking on Getting Started with Reporting Services.

Northeast Roadshow – Thursday, Nov. 12th at RPI

Chris and I are bringing you the “Don’t Fear the Coder” tour with topics including Silverlight and MVVM, ASP.NET, LINQ, and WCF. (We’re taking the show to six other venues as well!)

User Group Happenings East and West and in Between

joneil — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:59:00 GMT

I’m pleased to announce we have THREE new User Groups starting up, stretching from the extreme east to the extreme west edges of the Northeast!

The Cape Code XNA User Group is kicking things off this Friday, Oct 23rd, with a discussion of the pre-production and design of a game.

Closer to Boston, the Boston Azure User Group hosts their inaugural meeting on Thursday, Oct. 22nd, at the New England Research and Development Center (NERD) in Cambridge. Start time is 6:30 p.m., and the featured speaker is Brian Lambert of Microsoft, who will step through building an ASP.NET MVC application for deployment to Windows Azure.

On the opposite fringes of our Northeast District, the Western New York Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) is being re-formed! Their first meeting is on November 5th, at 6 p.m., in Lewiston. The speaker is John Kerwin, owner of Buffalo Web Labs, Inc., who will be discussing using XML with SQL Server.

Announcing Tech Valley Code Camp

joneil — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:00 GMT

The ‘ink’ is barely dry on New England Code Camp 12, and there’s another Code Camp on the horizon approaching fast – in less than three weeks!

The Tech Valley Code Camp will be held on Saturday, November 9th at the University at Albany-SUNY, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (times are tentative at this point).

As with all Code Camps, this is an effort “for the community, by the community,” and there is no cost to attend.

To submit a session or suggestion for one, as well as to register for the event, visit the Tech Valley Code Camp site.

Come on Baby, Light Your Fire

joneil — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:21:40 GMT

…for ASP.NET MVC and Windows 7, that is. The Firestarter event series is dedicated to providing a day-long, free set of technical sessions all focused on getting you up to speed on using a specific technology. It’s an opportunity to immerse yourself in the topic at hand and get the relevant details from Microsoft speakers, MVPs, and community experts so that you can quickly start applying the technology to your own projects.

While these are live events, there’s an on-line component as well, so even if you’re not able to be there in person, you can still “attend” via the live webcasts of each event. Additionally, past sessions (such as the Silverlight Firestarter held in Seattle on Sept. 17th) are available for viewing on demand.

There’s two events coming up shortly, one focused on the developer audience and another on the IT Professional audience. What a great way to open the “Doors” (pun intended) to learning!

ASP.NET MVC Firestarter

New York City

Windows 7 Firestarter

Alpharetta, Georgia

Saturday, October 3rd
8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. (ET)

Saturday, October 17th
8:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. (ET)

In-person event sold out!

Troy TechNet and Northeast Roadshow Advisory

joneil — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:08:00 GMT

If you’re planning to join my colleagues, Dan Stolts and Chris Bowen, and myself for one or both of our back-to-back events at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this Tuesday (Sept. 22), here’s a few important notes about the venue that aren’t immediately obvious.

The University address is 110 8th Street, Troy, New York; however, that is a mailing address and not a valid physical address. There is no building at that location!

Additionally, the reference in the on-line registration pages to the “Golisano College” is incorrect. This is a different venue (in Rochester!); I just noticed the error and hope to have it rectified shortly.
The events are taking place in the auditorium within the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, which is physically on 15th street directly across from the Alumni Sports & Rec Center. The auditorium is on the ground level at the end of the building farthest from 15th street. [map below]
There is a visitor parking lot across 15th street from the event venue [see map below]. Note that this is a metered lot ($0.25 per 15 minutes), but that parking passes for a fee of $5 $7 are available from the Public Safety and Parking Access Office, which is directly next to the visitor lot on 15th Street. Please be sure you check in with the Parking Office before proceeding to a visitor lot.

If you’ve registered for both events (TechNet Unleashed and the Northeast MSDN Roadshow), please note there will be a one-hour break for you to grab lunch on campus or at a nearby eatery. Lunch is not provided as part of the events, but there will be a continental breakfast for the morning event and afternoon snacks at the Northeast Roadshow.
If you haven’t registered for the events – why not??! There’s still space available at both; you can view the program and register at the links below:

TechNet Unleashed – Game On Tour!: 8:30 a.m. – 12 noon

Northeast Roadshow – Food for Thoughts Tour: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo: There’s a New Group in Town!

joneil — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:29:53 GMT

Thanks to PowerShell MVPs Joel Bennett and Jeffery Hicks for putting the wheels in motion for the Upstate New York PowerShell Users Group.

The Upstate NY PowerShell Users Group is for any IT Professional, Developer, Manager, or Administrator interested in learning more about Windows PowerShell. No prior experience is required, simply a healthy appetite for learning something new and having a little fun at the same time.

The kickoff meeting will be held on September 9 (hmm, 9/9/09 – that’s gotta be a good omen!) at New Horizons in Rochester beginning at 6 p.m. Since this is the first meeting, much of the agenda will be focused on refining the goals and scope of the group:

How often and where to meet?
What topics should the group cover?
What should the organizational structure be?

Time-permitting, there will be a short overview and introduction of PowerShell 2.0 as well.

You can get more information from their flyer to the right. Be sure to RSVP so they have an idea of how many to expect.

Thank You, Buffalo

joneil — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:46:43 GMT

Thanks to all that came out for the first ever Greater Buffalo IT/Dev Day at Daemen College this past Tuesday. From the conversations I had with folks on-site and the evaluations we collected, I hereby declare “mission accomplished!”

The event could definitely not have happened without the efforts of David Hockenberry and the volunteers at the Western New York .NET User Group; hopefully, you’ve signed up for their newsletter and will frequent their monthly meetings if you don’t already. By the way we’re already working on planning the next big event for Western New York!

Thanks too to the sponsors, Telerik, RedGate, Wrox, and Amyuni, and especially PSI Professional Support, Inc. – Greg, Shelley and crew – for not only paying for lunch, but also providing some insight into putting your best foot forward in the the current job market.

For those of you in attendance (or even if you weren’t!), here’s a few links you might be interested in.

The presentation materials can be found at http://tinyurl.com/buffaloitdevday (if they are not all there, they should be shortly).

Windows 7 officially RTMd on Wednesday! If you have an MSDN or TechNet subscription, you can access the release on August 6; check here for availability dates.

Expression 3 was announced on Wednesday as well, and is currently available for download via MSDN and TechNet subscriptions. You can also preorder the software when it becomes available in August, and download a 60-day trial to get started today.

A new Azure SDK is available, the major feature of which is to support multiple web and worker roles in the context of a single service. Also, as I mentioned, a new portal has been launched (http://windows.azure.com) to give a more streamlined experience to managing your cloud application. Here’s a snapshot below of my account, with the NerdBytes sample I demonstrated at the event.

Finally, keep your eye out Monday for the launch of Windows Marketplace for Mobile!

Northeast Roadshow and More!

joneil — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:05:00 GMT

Get those calendars out! Chris and I will be hitting the road again this September bringing you the latest and greatest developer topics from Microsoft. It’s the Northeast Roadshow: Food for Thoughts Tour, the same brand you know and love with a few twists…

We’re visiting more venues (seven in all), including a return to Albany/Troy, NY and new stops in Manchester, NH and Warwick, RI.
For four stops we’re piggybacking off of the TechNet Unleashed: Game On Tour, meaning great IT Pro content in the morning (courtesy of your IT Professional Evangelist, Dan Stolts) , followed by the developer content that is the Northeast Roadshow!

Note, TechNet Unleashed and the Northeast Roadshow are two distinct events, so if you want to attend both, be sure to sign up for each event separately. The dates, venues, and registration links are right below, followed by the Northeast Roadshow agenda and then the TechNet Unleashed agenda.

City	Date	Event	Registration Link
Manchester NH	Sep. 10	1 – 6 p.m.	Northeast Roadshow
Rochester NY	Sep. 18	10 a.m – 3:30 p.m.	Northeast Roadshow
Troy NY	Sep. 22	8:30 a.m. – noon	TechNet Unleashed
Troy NY	Sep. 22	1 – 6 p.m.	Northeast Roadshow
Waltham MA	Sep. 23	1 – 6 p.m.	Northeast Roadshow
Augusta ME	Sep. 24	8:30 a.m. – noon	TechNet Unleashed
Augusta ME	Sep. 24	1 - 6 p.m.	Northeast Roadshow
Farmington CT	Sep. 29	8:30 a.m. – noon	TechNet Unleashed
Farmington CT	Sep. 29	1 – 6 p.m.	Northeast Roadshow
~~Warwick RI~~	~~Oct. 6~~	~~8:30 a.m. - noon~~	~~TechNet Unleashed~~
~~Warwick RI~~	~~Oct. 6~~	~~1 – 6 p.m.~~	~~Northeast Roadshow~~

[Updated 8/1: Due to venue logistics, we’re unable to visit Warwick on this edition of the Roadshow, but we’re hoping to add it to next quarter’s series.]

Northeast Roadshow: Food for Thoughts Tour

After a long summer, you’re probably hungry for more tools and techniques to feed your development efforts. Touring the northeast this fall for the tenth Roadshow, road and code warriors Jim O’Neil and Chris Bowen have cooked up a select menu of sessions that are sure to please the heartiest of appetites. From current tools and technologies to practical insights, there is plenty to digest!

Reservations are required, so register today for a seating at these free and relaxed technology events.

You’ll see how Chris and Jim handle the heat of the demo kitchen, dish out knowledge, and pepper guests with half-baked humor, all the while being grilled by audience questions.

The Agenda – A Four Course Meal for the Mind

(Rochester attendees, note that program starts at 10 a.m.)

1:00 PM – Essential Patterns, Practically Served

Design patterns, they’re important but often presented with unappetizing formality, like getting only the oat bits from a box of marshmallow cereal. We’ll sample a small set of key patterns, but also show you how free frameworks and tools (such as Enterprise Library, Prism, Unity, Velocity, and others) put each of those patterns directly into practice – so you can too. You’ll leave with a mind full of practical technology and a healthy understanding of how to turn underlying patterns into recipes for success.

2:15 PM – 7-Up(grade) Your Applications

Refresh your existing applications by pouring in some the new features of Windows 7 via the managed-code Windows API Code Pack. We’ll quench your thirst for how to incorporate the Taskbar, jumplists, and Libraries by taking the cap off an existing Windows Forms application and adding new capabilities, all the while retaining compatibility for your XP and Vista users. We’ll have you bubbling with excitement, able to give your applications that extra pop.

3:30 PM – Silverlight Snacks that Satisfy

There’s a generous amount of delicious ingredients in Silverlight 3 and we’re going to focus deeply on some of the most enriching. We’re going beyond the standard fare in this code-heavy session to create an application that leverages the new out-of-browser and offline execution features, local and remote connections, local data storage, and more. You’ll see that Silverlight 3 applications can be fortified with features so they can go well beyond being eye candy.

4:45 PM – Chips off the .NET Block

As seasoned developers, we know there’s a mix of options on the trail to implementing requirements. From staples like value types vs. reference types, interfaces vs. classes, Strings vs. StringBuilder, to other more exotic ingredients you may have yet tried, this session will dip into ways to leverage .NET, offering a taste of the impact they have on code execution, performance, and extensibility.

5:50 PM – “Check Please!” – We’ll box any leftovers, collect your comment cards, and distribute an array of giveaways.

TechNet Unleashed: Game On Tour!

After a long summer, you’re probably ready to get your game on with some tools and techniques to speed up your IT strategy. Touring this fall, the East Region TechNet team of John Baker, Dan Stolts, Blain Barton and Yung Chou are bringing you a game plan of sessions that are sure to spike your productivity. From current tools and technologies to practical insights, there will be plenty of action for everyone!

Reservations are required, so register today for a seat at this free and fun technology event.

1st Down: Migrating Windows XP to Windows 7: Get it Done with the Microsoft Deployment Tools
You've gotten the handoff on upgrading your desktops from Windows XP™ to Windows 7™ and you know there isn't a direct upgrade path, so what’s the best strategy? This session will give you the answers and tools that will make your migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 an easy touchdown. First we’ll discuss standalone migrations using standard methodologies. Then we’ll explore large scale migrations with the Microsoft Deployment Tool Kit 2010 technologies, covering the "Lite-Touch” Installation (LTI) method leveraging User State Hard-Link Migration which will minimize network traffic and get the migration done in a timelier manner. What tools will we use? The User State Migration Tool (USMT) in the Automated Installation Toolkit (AIK) has everything you need to kick off the migration and deploy Windows 7 without a single fumble.

2nd Down: DirectAccess™ With Windows 7: No More VPN!!
Looking for ways to save some money and enable better employee productivity on the road? Tired of being unable to VPN from certain remote locations? Then DirectAccess is the solution you’re looking for! What is DirectAccess? DirectAccess provides secure, seamless, always-on networking and represents a fundamental shift in the way network boundaries are defined and how access is managed. It provides a consistent experience regardless of location, device, or network topology. It “just works” and accommodates today’s flexible “offices” and requirements for remote connectivity. Not only does it give an “always on the corporate network” experience for end users, but it also provides administrators the ability to manage remote machines through the DirectAccess connection. That's right, if it’s connected to the Internet, it’s connected to the corporate network… SECURELY, and therefore the manageability of remote resources is greatly improved. This session will explain in detail what DirectAccess is and will demonstrate how to configure both the client and server components of DirectAccess.

3rd Down: Optimizing Your Environment with Remote Desktop Services™ and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
You’ve been successfully using Terminal Services for some time now and have enjoyed the ability to centrally manage your remote desktop environment. But there have been challenges in Terminal Services. Interference issues such as printer drivers, applications that take resources away from other users, and users wanting to remote to a desktop instead of the server. Windows Server 2008 R2 represents a paradigm shift in remote connectivity. Come and see how the next generation of terminal services, now called Remote Desktop Services (RDS), can take you to the next level. RDS has been expanded to include Hyper-V integration for deploying virtual machine-based desktops in addition to the standard session-based remote connectivity. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is an emerging desktop optimization vehicle and delivery architecture to centralize the storage, execution, and management of desktops in a data center. In this session we will examine the architecture, essential services, and user experience of RDS and VDI while walking through deployment scenarios based on business requirements.

4th Down: Score!
We’ll call it a day, collect your surveys, and you just might score one of the day’s giveaways.

Happy New Year!

joneil — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:36:00 GMT

Yes, you’re still recovering from Fourth of July festivities, and, no, I didn’t get too much sun over the long weekend. July 1st indeed starts a new year, a new fiscal year, at Microsoft, and with that comes some intense planning for the coming 12 months – budgets, sales quotas, annual reviews, etc. For us, the Developer Platform and Evangelism team (DPE), specifically it’s a time for planning out our various events and road shows as well as fostering community activities like code camps and ‘firestarters.’

So what’s the best way to keep on top of all these happenings during the upcoming year?

MSDN Flash – subscribe here and enter your ZIP code to get localized content from Chris Bowen and myself in the Northeast. Our colleagues in other regions likewise add their own local flair to the bi-weekly newsletter.
Community Megaphone – on my blog’s sidebar is a feed showing the events in the Northeast district, but you can visit the main site and see what’s going on around the country.
Follow your evangelists’ blogs. Well, you found mine and the rest of the members of the East region developer evangelist family are listed in my blog’s sidebar.
Get involved in a User Group. In the Northeast, we have nearly three-dozen active groups focused on various aspects of Microsoft technologies, and there’s many more independent groups focused on complementary topics like JavaScript, Web technologies, and user experience as well. There’s no better way to hear about activities than being part of those activities yourself. It’s a double-win: you stay abreast of technology, and you meet some great people in the process.

Greater Buffalo IT/Dev Day: July 21st

joneil — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:02:00 GMT

Mark your calendars! MSDN and TechNet in conjunction with the Western New York .NET Users Group are bringing the Greater Buffalo IT/Dev Day to Daemen College in Amherst on July 21st. Special thanks to David Hockenberry of WNYDNUG for spearheading and coordinating the logistics of this event!

This IT/Dev Day comprises separate TechNet Unleashed and MSDN Unleashed events, with morning TechNet sessions focused on the IT Professional audience, and afternoon MSDN sessions geared toward the .NET developer audience. Attendees at either event (or both events!) are welcome to stay - or come early as the case may be - for a light lunch courtesy of our sponsor, PSI Professional Support Inc.

Oh yeah… before I forget, in addition to the great content outlined below, all attendees will receive a copy of the Windows 7 Release Candidate media!!

Greater Buffalo IT/Dev Day

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

107 Schenck Hall
Daemen College
4380 Main Street
Amherst, NY 14226


8:30 – 11 a.m		1 – 4:30 p.m.
Lunch: noon – 1 p.m.		Lunch: noon – 1 p.m.
Register here!		Register here!

Moving to the Modern OS Roadmap In this welcome session, we will discuss some of the key challenges IT professionals face in today’s economy. We’ll talk about scenarios with Windows 2000 and Windows XP and the importance of moving to a modern OS. In addition, we will cover Windows Vista and improvements that have been made with SP2 as well as review guidance concerning Windows Vista deployments.		Developing Cloud Applications with Windows Azure Cloud computing is one of more recent buzzwords in software development, and Microsoft has thrown its hat in the ring with Windows Azure and the Azure Services Platform. You’ll discover what makes Microsoft’s unique Software + Services approach tick through discussions and demonstrations of key components like Azure storage, the .NET Service Bus, Live Services, and SQL Data Services.

Windows Security and Application/Driver Compatibility This session discusses security, data protection with the new “Bitlocker-To-Go”, rich support tools like Reliability Monitor, Resource Monitor, Windows Recovery Environment, and the new System Restore and Problem Steps Recorder. We will also cover application control using group policy and implement simple rule structures that include working with an application to Allow, Exception or Deny the installation. We’ll also discuss Group Policy Preferences and how users can change their own policy settings.		Developing Rich Internet Applications with Silverlight Silverlight is the technology of choice for building applications with rich features and broad reach. Using Silverlight 2 today, we’ll show you what you can accomplish with .NET and XAML to deliver a great user experience. Then, we’ll up the ante with a preview of Silverlight 3 including out-of-browser support and productivity and performance enhancements. We’ll also take a look at some of the great features in Expression Blend 3, sure to please your designer side.

Windows 7 Release Candidate The way Microsoft develops Windows has changed. We’ll discuss the changes we have made in Windows Vista that affect Windows 7, such as hardware, and new features that work with Windows Server 2008 R2 like DirectAccess™, which provides seamless remote access to corporate network resources. We also will cover BranchCache ™, which caches content downloaded from file and web servers; users in the branch can quickly open files stored in the cache, which frees up network bandwidth for other uses.		Developing applications with Windows Mobile With worldwide mobile phone shipments predicted to grow at a 31% rate in 2009, there’s no time like the present to bring your applications to Windows Mobile. In this session we’ll discuss the components of the Windows Mobile Platform, notably the Compact Framework and SDK, and use familiar tools and constructs in Visual Studio to build and deploy a mobile application from the ground up. There’s also a look forward to some of the great features coming in Windows Mobile 6.5.

A very special thanks to the event sponsors below for making it possible to bring this event to the Buffalo area!

Atta Boy, Andy

joneil — Fri, 29 May 2009 07:31:30 GMT

Congrats to the Northeast’s own Andy Beaulieu (MVP and leader of the Central New York .NET Developer Group) for winning the ServerQuest II Silverlight game competition, with his entry Boss Launch

And from the “great timing department”, my colleague, Glen Gordon, and I had the privilege of chatting with Andy just yesterday about Silverlight gaming on GeekSpeak; you can download the recorded session here.

You can check out other bits of Andy’s work at http://www.spritehand.com… but don’t let the boss catch you!

2009 Summer Northeast Roadshow

joneil — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:04:51 GMT

Chris, Bob, and I are hitting the road again in June to bring the developer and architect community another all-day, free event – this time covering topics including Windows 7, ASP.NET MVC, WPF, Silverlight, and more.

We’ll be visiting five locations across the region; just click the site link below to register.

Wednesday, June 10	Williston, Vermont
Friday, June 12	Rochester, New York
Tuesday, June 16	Waltham, Massachusetts
Thursday, June 18	Augusta, Maine
Wednesday, June 24	Farmington, Connecticut

The Agenda – Jim, Bob, and Chris in “Client Side Story”:
Tales of Browser, OS, and Application Technologies

8:00 – Bypass the ticket booth, grab a coffee and a seat (but of course you’ll only need the edge…)

8:30 – Windows 7: A “Dev Story”
“Windows 7 means never having to say you’re sorry…” There’s a lot to love in Windows 7, and in this session we’ll take a look at the foundation of any enduring relationship – compatibility. As you move on from your days with Vista, you may be surprised at how comfortable Windows 7 is; you don’t have to completely reinvent yourself (or your applications) just to get along. Of course, the newest OS on the block also brings with it the allure and excitement of new features – multi-touch, jump lists, and the scenic ribbon – and who doesn’t want to show that off! Leave your tissues at home, we promise a happy ending to this one.

9:50 – “Desperately Seeking Silverlight” – Developing with Silverlight, Today and Tomorrow
Searching the newspapers for something new to spice up the day-to-day life of your applications? Silverlight is that cool jacket your applications can wear to attract a new world of interest. In this session, we’ll take a brief look at what you can accomplish in today’s world with Silverlight 2 development using .NET and XAML for a great client experience. Then, it’s time for a sneak preview of the coming attractions of Silverlight 3, including out-of-browser support, new graphics to video options, productivity and performance improvements. We’ll also take a look at the very cool features coming in Expression Blend 3. Answer your customers’ want ads with Silverlight, and get ready for a mob of new followers!

11:10 – “Data Quest” – Pinning Down Approaches to Data Access
Your applications are growing up, and it’s time to graduate from DataReaders and DataSets. Want to get your applications in shape, but wrestling with the concepts of multiple data access options like ADO.NET, LINQ to SQL, and Entity Framework? This match session will pull you back from the lunatic fringe by going to the mat with these data technologies and helping focus a vision for your application’s data requirements

12:00 – “Nightmare on IE Street” – Adding IE8 Web Slices and Accelerators to Your Web Site
The reality is that supporting multiple browsers can be a nightmare. In this session, we will review how to handle browser compatibility and how to take advantage of IE8 Web Slices and Accelerators. A Web Slice enables users to subscribe to content directly within a Web page, without requiring a separate RSS feed file. Accelerators are contextual menu options that can quickly access applications or Web services from any Web page. Not all slicing needs to be the stuff of terror, and understanding IE8 will make your web pages a dream for your users, while striking fear into your competition.

1:00 – “20,000 Leagues under the MVC” – Diving into ASP.NET MVC
Setting sail on the web can be an uncertain proposition. Tales of peril abound of sites that have sunk and never been seen since. ASP.NET with WebForms has always been a trusty vessel, worthy of the voyage, but a new design has just left dry dock. Now officially released, ASP.NET MVC 1.0 is a new option for creating web applications that makes it easy to have fine-grained control over how pages in your web application are generated, encourages separation of concerns, and fosters testability. In this session, we’ll focus on learning to build a new site with ASP.NET MVC, while sharing advice to help you decide when to choose MVC or WebForms. MVC’s fine-grained control and implementation flexibility can be keys to navigating what can be a turbulent sea of changing requirements and market demands. Captain a site with ASP.NET MVC, and you may find that it’s not monsters under the surface, but hidden treasure instead.

2:10 – “The Coding of WPF 1 2 3” – Ribbons, Grids, Threads, and More
When the stakes are high, you don’t need to be held hostage by the old ways of doing things. Jump on the WPF train and break free of those UI bonds. In this code-heavy session, we will demonstrate the power of WPF with the new Office/Windows 7 Ribbon Control, the new WPF Grid Control, and how to leverage background threads to make your user interface scream. When having the richest client experience is a non-negotiable requirement, you can be the hero, saving the day with WPF.

3:30 – Wrap-up, giveaways, and the mad dash for the exits!

Northeast Roadshow Update

joneil — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:13:08 GMT

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unfortunately we need to cancel the Albany venue on the upcoming Northeast Roadshow series. For those of you that signed up, we will be providing our materials on-line and preparing screencasts as well post-show. I realize that’s a small consolation, and I’ll miss catching up with the folks there, but this is one of those developments that has come down from ‘on high.’ Of course, we welcome you to join us in Burlington or Rochester… not exactly around the corner, but hey “Road Trip!”

There’s spots at all of the remaining shows open, here’s the schedule and links to registration. Hope to see you on the road.

Burlington, VT	KnowledgeWave 30 Community Drive Suite 5 South Burlington, VT	Tue., March 10	register now!
Rochester, NY	Rochester Institute of Technology Golisano Auditorium Rochester, NY	Thur., March 12	register now!
Hartford, CT	The Hartford Wallace Stevens Theater 690 Asylum Avenue Hartford, CT	Wed., March 18	register now!
Augusta, ME	Central Maine Commerce Center Florian Hall 45 Commerce Drive Augusta, ME	Thur., March 19	register now!
Waltham, MA	Microsoft Office 201 Jones Road Suite 600 Waltham, MA	Mon., March 23	register now!

Syracuse MSDN Event

joneil — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:40:19 GMT

Thanks to all the folks that turned out for the MSDN event ~~today~~ yesterday in Syracuse. We had a full docket of topics, so I hope that everyone got something valuable out of the presentations.

As promised, I’ve uploaded my demos and PowerPoint slides to my SkyDrive. You can download the materials from the links below.

Demystifying Azure: An Overview of the Azure Services Platform for Developers
Deepen Your Debugging: Tips and Tricks for the Visual Studio 2008 Debugger
Developing for Windows Mobile Devices

Hope to see some of you in Rochester next week for the Northeast Roadshow!

Azure, Debugging, and Mobile... Oh My!

joneil — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:48:08 GMT

Hello Syracuse and neighbors! Yours truly will be in town on Thursday, March 5th, at the Regal Carousel Mall Stadium 17 theater for the only MSDN Event in the Northeast this quarter.

The program is free, and runs from 1 to 5 p.m. You can register right here!

As the title proclaims, I’ve got a wide variety of technical topics to talk about; a full agenda follows. Hope to see you there, and hey, maybe you can catch Slumdog Millionaire afterwards!

SESSION 1 | Demystifying Azure: An Overview of the Azure Services Platform for Developers

The Azure™ Services Platform (Azure) is an Internet-scale cloud services platform with an operating system and developer services set that can be used individually or together. Hosted in Microsoft data centers, Azure’s flexible and interoperable platform can help you build new applications to run from the cloud or to enhance existing applications with cloud-based capabilities. With open architecture, Azure gives developers the ability to build Web applications, and applications running on connected devices, PCs, servers, and hybrid solutions that offer the best of online and on-premises functionality. Confused about the Azure hype? Come discover and demystify the Azure concepts, and see demos of Azure in action with a variety of services.

SESSION 2 | Deepen your Debugging: Tips and Tricks for the Visual Studio 2008 Debugger

The Visual Studio debugger is a highly underutilized tool for many developers. In this session, you’ll learn how to use it like a pro, while picking up new techniques to fast-forward your problem solving and debugging abilities. We’ll show you how to use advanced breakpoints, advanced watch window / Expression evaluator tricks, modifiers, assertions on the fly, remote debugging, and more. Whether you’re writing C#, VB, WPF, ASP.NET, Windows Forms, or services, we’ll provide tips and tricks that will have you debugging faster and much more efficiently. The debugger is your primary tool for finding bugs, so join us and learn how to make the most of it.

SESSION 3 | Developing for Windows Mobile Devices

Mobile development is growing fast, and Windows Mobile is at the forefront with over 18 million phones shipped last year and many more cutting-edge devices on the way. Visual Studio developers have tremendous opportunities in this space. Why? Developing for a Windows Mobile phone leverages your existing coding experience and takes it to new heights. In this session, we’ll look at some of the coolest new devices, you’ll learn how to set up Visual Studio with the latest SDK and device emulators, and you’ll see how to build, deploy and debug Windows Mobile applications.