Sajee's WebLog

Visual Studio rebooted

2009-10-19T19:25:17Z

Big changes are afoot in Visual Studio land. The “Team System” moniker goes into retirement and we simplify the lineup with Professional, Premium and Ultimate. And just for testers, there’s the Test Elements product.

Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 and .NET 4 Beta 2 are available to MSDN subscribers today and will be available to the general public on Wednesday. Best of all, the will have a “Go Live” license. Read about the products here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd831853(VS.100).aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd409230(VS.100).aspx

Here’s a video on how to download and install VS 2010 and TFS 2010 Beta 2.

Visual Studio 2010 Events

2009-10-19T16:01:02Z

Here are a list of event to help you understand and make sense of all the exciting changes occurring to VS 2010 and MSDN.

Virtual Events

VS 2010 Overview Webcasts
- October 21st, 1 PM-3:30 PM CST [Register Here]
- October 27th, 9 AM-11:30 AM CST [Register Here]
- November 5th, 3 PM-5:30 PM CST [Register Here]
ALM Virtual Roundtables
- November 3rd, 10 AM-12 PM EST [Register Here]
- November 5th, 10 AM-12 PM EST [Register Here]

Live Events

SharePoint as a Development Platform
- November 2nd, 10 AM-4 PM, Washington, DC (Chevy Chase)
- November 3rd, 10 AM-4 PM, Reston, VA
- November 9th, 10 AM-4 PM, Pittsburgh, PA
- November 11th, 10 AM-4 PM, Malvern, PA
- November 12th, 10 AM-4 PM, NYC
- November 16th, 10 AM-4 PM, Atlanta, GA
- November 18th, 10 AM-4 PM, Charlotte, NC
- November 19th, 10 AM-4 PM, Waltham, MA
Using Visual Studio 2010 to Improve Software Quality
- November 11th, 9 AM-12 PM, Waltham
- November 17th, 9 AM-12 PM, Charlotte
- November 18th, 9 AM-12 PM, Tampa
- December 1st, 9 AM-12 PM, Malvern
- December 2nd, 9 AM-12 PM, Atlanta
- December 8th, 9 AM-12 PM, DC
- December 9th, 9 AM-12 PM, NYC
Ultimate Event: Visual Studio 2010 Preview
- January 12th, 9 AM-4 PM, Rochester, NY
- January 14th, 9 AM-4 PM, Farmington, CT
- January 19th, 9 AM-4 PM, Tampa
- January 20th, 9 AM-4 PM, NYC
- January 21st, 9 AM-4 PM, Iselin, NJ
- January 21st, 9 AM-4 PM, Pittsburgh
- January 27th, 9 AM-4 PM, Charlotte
- January 28th, 9 AM-4 PM, Malvern
- January 28th, 9 AM-4 PM, Durham, NC
- February 2nd, 9 AM-4 PM, Waltham, MA
- February 2nd, 9 AM-4 PM, Atlanta, GA
- February 3rd, 9 AM-4 PM, DC
- February 4th, 9 AM-4 PM, Reston
- February 11th, 9 AM-4 PM, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Barry Boehm: “A View of 20th and 21st Century Software Engineering”

2009-07-11T03:51:50Z

This was probably a great lecture. I wish video of this talk from 2006 was available but I guess the slides will have to do for now.

Brian Harry on Visual Studio Team System 2010 in NYC June 30th

2009-06-13T20:16:04Z

Brian Harry will be speaking live at the June NYC VSTS User Group meeting. Brian is one of the architects of Team Foundation Server so this is a great opportunity to hear what’s coming in the 2010 release as well as ask questions about Team System 2008.

Registration information here: http://nyc-vsts-ug.com/Upcoming.aspx

Hope to see you there.

Seminar: Agile Database Development Using VSTS 2008 Database Edition

2009-04-30T21:40:20Z

Incycle Software will be providing a a seminar on managing the data tier with VSTS on May 21st. Details are here:

https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=137891

Visual Studio Team Test 2008 Quick Reference Guide

2009-03-31T17:25:20Z

The VSTS Rangers released the Visual Studio Team Test 2008 Quick Reference Guide on CodePlex yesterday. It looks to be a pretty useful resource for web and load testing using the Team System toolset.

SCRUM + Team System training

2009-02-25T18:01:35Z

Many teams are either using or considering using Scrum as the basis for their software development process. TFS’s extensible process support has templates (1,2) for Scrum. If you’re interested in learning how to apply Scrum with TFS, Accentient, a well known VSTS partners, has a new training course on the topic.

VSTS Videos & Webcasts

2009-02-25T17:21:28Z

One of the best ways to understand the capabilities of VSTS is to see it in action. These videos range from overviews of VSTS to specific product feature areas:

http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/Msdnvsts.aspx?tab=webcasts&id=odall

Some of the videos are based on VSTS 2005 but the concepts should apply to VSTS 2008.

Additionally, Notion Solutions has provided these on-demand webcasts:

http://www.notionsolutions.com/training/Pages/VSTSVideos.aspx

Notion Tools for TFS 2008

2009-02-24T23:37:28Z

Notion Solutions, a premier VSTS partner, has released a number of additions to TFS:

Notion Timesheet - Classic timesheet features fully integrated with Team System.
Notion Work Organizer - Manage work items and documents from a single, easy-to-use interface.
Notion Work Planner - Plan iterations and releases based on real teams, real schedules, and real conflicts.
Notion Work Item Control Library - Enable hierarchical Work Item relationships.

I’ve heard numerous requests for Timesheet capabilities so this should be a welcome addition to many teams. Details and video demos here.

VS 2010 UI improvements

2009-02-24T21:36:37Z

You may have heard that VS 2010 will have an improved UI. The last CTP showed some of the work but you’ll see more of the polish in upcoming releases. Here’s a preview.

Bill and Peter’s Roadshow

2009-02-24T21:27:23Z

Probably not as funny as Bill & Ted, but a lot more worthwhile, are Bill & Peter’s roadshow, coming to a location near you. The last two events of this series will be in Long Island and Stamford, CT. This is a great way to network and gain exposure to the latest Microsoft technologies.

Free Team System Webcasts

2009-01-23T22:08:17Z

Notion Solutions, a long time VSTS Partner, is providing a series of introductory VSTS webcasts. Please join if you want to learn about or refresh your memory about VSTS.

Notion Solutions – Visual Studio Team System Webcast Series

Visual Studio Team System 2008 Overview

1/29/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 2/19/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

3/12/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 4/2/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 4/23/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

5/14/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 6/4/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 6/25/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

Team Foundation Server - 2008 Overview

2/5/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 2/26/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

3/19/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 4/9/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 4/30/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

5/21/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 6/11/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

Visual Studio Team System 2008 Developer Edition Overview

2/5/2009 - 3:00:00 PM 2/26/2009 - 3:00:00 PM

3/19/2009 - 3:00:00 PM 4/30/2009 - 3:00:00 PM 5/21/2009 - 3:00:00 PM

6/11/2009 - 3:00:00 PM

Visual Studio Team System 2008 Database Professional Edition Overview

2/12/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 3/5/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

3/26/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 4/16/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 5/7/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

5/28/2009 - 1:00:00 PM 6/18/2009 - 1:00:00 PM

Visual Studio Team System 2008 Tester Edition Overview

2/12/2009 - 3:00:00 PM 3/5/2009 - 3:00:00 PM

3/26/2009 - 3:00:00 PM 4/16/2009 - 3:00:00 PM 5/7/2009 - 3:00:00 PM

5/28/2009 - 3:00:00 PM 6/18/2009 - 3:00:00 PM

Free NYC Workshop: Adopting ALM with Visual Studio Team System and Team Foundation Server

2009-01-22T16:27:21Z

If you’re curious about the benefits of ALM, Tallan is hosting a free workshop in the Microsoft NYC office on 2/20/2009 that can help you understand the benefits on ALM & VS Team System.

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) synchronizes business goals and IT investment priorities, provides valuable insight into the software development lifecycle at each stage of the process, and can enable organizations to get the most value out of their IT investments. Companies like yours that have embraced ALM have already realized greater productivity. With Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) and Team Foundation Server (TFS), Microsoft has the tools to help you adopt ALM and realize the benefits. This intensive one-day workshop will show you how.

Adopting Application Lifecycle Management is brought to you by Tallan and Microsoft. The workshop will be held from 9:00AM until 5:00 PM on February 10th at the Microsoft New York Office at 1290 Avenue of Americas 6th Floor New York, NY 10104. Meals will be provided.

To register, use the link below or call 860.368.3058

https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=134928

Space is limited for this one-day intensive workshop…will you lock in your place at this game-changing training today?

Agenda

Agenda Item	Time
Introduction to ALM Overview of Microsoft ALM strategy and technologies	9:00 AM – 9:15AM
Tallan Introduction Overview of Tallan, experience with TFS showcasing examples of past projects	9:15 AM – 9:20AM
What is TFS? Overview of Team Foundation Server and Visual Studio Team System including how these tools can be utilized to help work through the development lifecycle.	9:20AM – 9:45 AM
Break	9:45 AM – 10:00 AM
From requirements to release – how to track what the developers work on, how to control what gets included in a release and how to automate the build & deployment process. Review of the change management and source control capabilities of TFS and how it compares to other tools.	10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (with 15min break)
Lunch	12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
How do I improve the quality of our software? How do I measure whether we are continuously improving? In-depth examination of the testing, code analysis and reporting features In TFS.	1:00 PM – 2:45 PM
Break	2:45 PM – 3:00 PM
How do I get my development team, DBAs, operations and project management on the same page? Separate the walls between these groups in your IT organization. Facilitate communication and coordination using the tools provided by TFS.	3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Additional Q&A	4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Attend the Microsoft Developer Conference

2008-11-04T23:21:25Z

Wish you could’ve attended one of the most important PDCs ever but couldn’t? Well, now you get a second change. From December 9th thru February 19th, the Microsoft Developer Conference will be coming to a city near you. The MDC is a condensed, one day conference that delivers the essence of PDC 2008. It’s a great opportunity to understand ground breaking technologies that will impact how you develop and deliver software in the coming years. Don’t miss it.

For those of you in the NY area, I hope to see you on January 20, 2009 at the Marriott Marquis.

Get more information here and register.

NYC VSTS UG meeting coming up on Tuesday

2008-10-23T23:11:51Z

Our second meeting is on Tuesday 10/28 @ 6pm at the MS NYC office. The topic will be TFS version control.