What's Rockin' in Singapore

Microsoft has recently announced two new free services that can greatly enhance your web site:

Windows Live ID and  Gatineau.

Windows Live ID provides the ability to leverage the Live platform to provide authentication services to your web site to enable personalization and profiling.  More details can be found from the Windows Live ID team's release announcement or the Live Development site.  Gatineau is Microsoft's new analytics tool that combines the demographic data enabled through Live ID with web traffic analysis.

If you want to see an excellent comprehensive overview the web analytics industry, check out this 50 minute presentation by Avinash Kaushik.

Are you attending TechEd 2007 SEA in KL?  It's the last couple of days before the Merdeka Special Offer expires (RM999 + free TechEd US Conference DVD and a chance to win a trip to VS Live or TechEd Europe - details on the site below).

http://www.microsoft.com/malaysia/techedsea2007/

If you haven't already registered, well it's time to get cranking.  I'll be heading up there myself with a group of Singapore faculty/lecturers to attend the Faculty Workshop, TechEd, and to have a great time.

Via the Windows Vista Team Blog: http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/08/29/announcing-the-windows-vista-service-pack-1-beta.aspx

Halo 3 fans will absolutely love this video:

http://halo.msn.com/videosHD.aspx

If you are interested in SOA, you should be excited about this upcoming event organised by SiTF together with the support of 6 friendly vendors. Microsoft is one of the sponsors.

Stanley Tan, Academic Program Manager, Microsoft Singapore will be presenting on The Next Generation Web, first presentation in the morning. The web can be the consume layer of the SOA stack.

"There is great interest in Web 2.0, blogs, wiki’s and social software in the consumer space but what are the implications of the Web 2.0 phenomena in the enterprise? Is Web 2.0 another internet bubble and so can be safely ignored or is there some substance to the hype? In this session, you will be wowed by the exciting demonstrations and showcases of the latest Microsoft’s Web 2.0 offerings like Silverlight, Popfly, and so on… "

In the afternoon from 3.30 to 5.50 pm at level 4, there will be 2 hrs of exciting hands on lab on Silverlight technologies! Come and try out the labs! Every person who completes the labs and feedback forms will bring home either a T-shirt, mug, name card holder, glass globe or pouch (no one will leave empty handed!). In addition, you will also stand a chance to win Office Home & Student 2007 (1 copy) or Windows Live OneCare (3 copies). The draw will start right after the lab sessions.

Hi,

I just completed delivering a three day event / work shop on emerging Microsoft Technologies.  The slides from the presentations can be found here.

So much talk about Windows Server 2008 as an important part of infrastructure. So what does it mean to architects and developers?

Let's recap some of the goals...

• Application Platform - Flexible Solutions, Connected Systems, Rich Experiences
• Management - Control , Flexibility, Availability
• Investment in the Fundamentals - Security, Reliability, Performance

What are some of the technologies provided?

• Application Platform - .NET Framework 3.0, Windows Activation Service (WAS), IIS7 Modules, IIS7 Administration
• Management - WS-Management and Windows Remote Management, MMC 3.0, Task Scheduler 2.0 API
• Transactional Platform - Transaction NTFS (TxF), Transactional Registry (TxR), Kernel Transaction Manager (KTM)
• Concurrency - Thread Ordering Service, Thread Pools
• Recovery and Restart - Windows Error Reporting (WER), Application Recovery and Restart, Restart Manager
• Networking - Windows Filtering Platform (WFP), Network Stack Improvements, Network-Connected Devices (Function Discovery API, Web Services on Devices)
• Storage - Remote Differential Compression (RDC), Common Log File System (CLFS), Symbolic Links

Specifically, I would like to call out .Net framework 3.0 and IIS7 which are closer to the hearts of application folks.

The Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 is the managed code programming model for Windows. It combines the power of the .NET Framework 2.0 with new technologies for building applications that have visually compelling user experiences, seamless communication across technology boundaries, the ability to support a wide range of business processes, and an easier way to manage your personal information online.

• Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is the next-generation presentation sub-system for Windows. It provides developers and designers with a unified programming model for building rich Windows smart client user experiences that incorporate UI, media, and documents.
• Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is Microsoft’s unified framework for building secure, reliable, transacted, and interoperable distributed applications.
• Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) is the programming model, engine and tools for quickly building workflow enabled applications. WF radically enhances a developer’s ability to model and support business processes.
• Windows CardSpace enables users to provide their digital identities in a familiar, secure, and easy way. In the physical world, we use business cards, credit cards, and membership cards. Online with CardSpace we use a variety of virtual cards to identity ourselves, each retrieving data from an identity provider. Don’t struggle with usernames and passwords, just choose an information card!

Useful Resources

.Net Framework Developer Center

Microsoft .Net Framework 3.0 Community

More than a Web server, Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7) provides a secure, easy to manage platform for developing and reliably hosting Web applications and services. IIS 7.0 is designed for modularity and provides an extensibility architecture for hosting content.

What are IIS7 Modules? IIS 7.0’s web-server feature set if componentized into more than thirty independent modules. A module is either a Win32 DLL (native) or a .NET 2.0 type contained within an assembly (managed). Similar to a Lego set, modules are added to the server in order to provide the desired functionality for your applications. Likewise, all IIS modules can be removed, or replaced with custom modules developed using the new IIS 7.0 C++ APIs, or the familiar ASP.NET 2.0 APIs.

What scenarios does this enable? In the past, ASP.NET modules were limited in functionality due to the ASP.NET request processing pipeline being separate from the main server request pipeline. In IIS7, with the Integrated Pipeline architecture, managed modules become virtually as powerful as native modules. Most importantly, the services provided by managed modules can now be applied to all requests to the server, not just requests to ASP.NET content like ASPX pages. Managed modules are configured and managed in a consistent manner with native modules, and can execute in the same processing stages and orderings as native modules. Finally, managed modules can perform a wider set of operations to manipulate request processing via several added and enhanced ASP.NET APIs. In summary...

• Both Win32 DLL (native) and .NET 2.0 type contained in assembly (managed) are supported.
• Add to server in order to provide desired functionality for your app (example: watermarking served up images)
• Managed modules virtually as powerful as native modules (thanks to Integrated Pipeline)
• Managed modules can be applied to all requests to the server, not just ASP.NET-oriented requests
• Managed and native modules are both configured and managed in a consistent manner (and can execute in same processing stages and orderings with each other)

Useful Resources

• IIS7 Module Overview: http://www.iis.net/default.aspx?tabid=2&subtabid=25&i=930  
• Developing a Module using .NET: http://www.iis.net/default.aspx?tabid=2&subtabid=25&i=942  

What is new in IIS7 Administration? IIS7 provides a comprehensive managed-code API that allows complete manipulation of the XML configuration files and convenience access to server objects. IIS7 includes Microsoft.Web.Administration, which is a new management API for the web server that enables editing configuration through complete manipulation of the XML configuration files and also provides convenience objects to manage the server, its properties and state. The configuration editing aspect of the API provides programmatic access to read and write configuration properties in the IIS configuration file hierarchy and specific configuration files. The object management aspect of this API provides a series of top-level administration objects for direct management of the server (i.e. sites, application pools, worker processes, etc.).

The management classes reside in the Microsoft.Web.Administration namespace. The classes provide a weakly-typed interface to access configuration sections and convenience objects with properties and methods representing attributes of the configuration (like the path of a virtual directory) or actions to take on the object (like recycling an application pool). In summary...

• Provides comprehensive managed-code API allowing complete manipulation of XML configuration files and convenience access to server objects
• Resides in Microsoft.Web.Administration namespace

Useful Resources

http://www.iis.net/default.aspx?tabid=2&subtabid=25&i=952

A quick tip on embedding a Silverlight streaming object in your html page...use the new Iframe service.   Embed the following link as the source of an iframe element http://silverlight.services.live.com/invoke/<AccountID>/<ApplicationID>/iframe.html

If you are like me, the recent release of the 1.0 RC version of Silverlight has been a mixed bag.  Clearly the new version has a wealth of new features that make it event better but at the same time these improvements have also broken existing implementations.  Here are some tips to resurrecting your demos and prototypes:

1)  Remove Sys. from all calls to the helper js files.  This namespace has bee deprecated. 

2)  Do a find and replaced on .Hidden with .Collapsed.  Hidden has be deprecated as well.

3)  Use the new silverlight.js files.

4)  If you manually configuring the object/embed tag, use "x-silverlight" instead of "ag-plugin"

5)  If all else fails....download the the 1.0 SDK

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is the next generation of the Windows Server operating system that helps information technology (IT) Professionals maximize control over their infrastructure, while providing enhanced availability and management capabilities, leading to a significantly more secure, reliable server environment than ever before. Windows Server 2008 delivers new value to organizations by ensuring that all users regardless of location are able to get the full complement of services from the network. Windows Server 2008 also gives IT Professionals greater control over their corporate server and network infrastructure, allowing them to spend more time adding business value, rather than spending most of their time on administration tasks.

Windows Server 2008 is designed to help the IT professional in these areas: Server Virtualization, Centralized Application Access, Branch Office, Security and Policy Enforcement, Web and Applications Platform, Server Management, and High Availability.

1. Server Virtualization: The virtualization role provides an entirely new deployment and licensing paradigm to enable multiple operating system instances—from both Microsoft and third-party operating system vendors—to run in a virtual infrastructure separated from the hardware by a slim “hypervisor” of virtualization technology. The benefits of virtualization are accomplished using server consolidation. This helps reduce the total number and cost of server ownership by maximizing hardware utilization and consolidating workloads. Improved management capabilities allow IT Professionals to create a “dynamic data center” to move virtual machines without impacting the users and to provide flexible test and development environments.

2. Centralized Application Access: Windows Server 2008 provides secure anywhere access to business applications over the Internet using Terminal Services and Certificate Services.  Terminal Services provides secure access to both remote and network-based users to applications that are centralized and secured in the data center. This access removes the need for application servers at distributed locations and provides secure access to terminal services without needing to enable full network access using VPN or other mechanisms.

3. Branch Office: Organizations can improve security, server deployment, system administration, and the efficiency of WAN communications in branch offices where Windows Server 2008 is deployed. Enhancements to branch office features are enabled by Active Directory with Read-Only Domain Controller, delegated/distributed domain administration, restartable Active Directory, and SYSVOL replication using DFS; File Services with SMB 2.0 and read-only DFS members; NetIO; BitLocker™ Drive Encryption; Server Core; and Windows Server Virtualization.

4. Security and Policy Enforcement: Security is greatly enhanced in the Windows Server 2008 operating system through security roles, Network Access Protection, central policy management, and secure wireless and remote access solutions. With Windows Server 2008, IT Professionals can check the health of computers, and enforce application layer data inspection by checking for malware; simplify administrative tasks, such as system updates and application installations; and enable one-to-many management of users and computers throughout the enterprise. The IT staff can also create a Group Policy to control access, use policy-based quality of service to prioritize and manage the sending rate for outgoing network traffic, and filter outgoing and incoming traffic. Group Policy settings can also provide enhanced secure wireless network access to networks. Security and policy-enforcements in Windows Server 2008 are enabled by Network Access Protection, Internet Protocol security (IPsec) improvements, network authentication methods (IEEE 802.1X, VPN, DHCP, RADIUS), a Network Access Protection (NAP) Administration Server, System Health Validator / System Health Agent, a Health Certificate Server, and Group Policy features.

5. Web and Applications Platform: Windows Server 2008 provides a secure, easy-to-manage platform for developing and reliably hosting applications and services to run on the server or over the Web. With Windows Server 2008 enterprises will enjoy more efficient application and services management, quicker deployment and configuration of Web application and services across server farms, and a more secure, streamlined, customized Web platform. Windows Server 2008 provides greater performance and scalability of Web applications and services, and offers fine control and visibility into how and when applications and services utilize key operating system resources. Enhancements in the Web and Application Platform are enabled by Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, .NET Framework 3.0, Windows Process Activation Service (WAS), Windows Vista™, and Windows Server 2008 operating system resource management features.

6. Server Management: Windows Server 2008 improves the management experience of single and multiple servers across an enterprise. The new Server Manager console in Windows Server 2008 is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that eases the task of managing and securing multiple server roles in an enterprise. Server Manager provides a single source for managing a server's identity and system information, displaying server status, identifying problems with server role configuration, and managing all of the roles installed on the server. Information provided by Server Manager gives IT Professionals the specific information they need to control and manage their environment. Multiple servers can be automated using Windows PowerShell, which consists of a new command-line shell and scripting language designed specifically to automate administration tasks for server roles, such as IIS and Active Directory. Using Windows PowerShell, IT staff can write scripts that automate common tasks. IT Professionals can also use the Windows Remote Shell (WinRS) tool to remotely manage servers, or to obtain management data through Windows Remote Management (WinRM) and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) objects on remote servers. WinRM is a new remote access protocol that is based on the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) standard Web Services for Management. Server Core provides a minimal installation option for certain server roles, offering a smaller server footprint and attack surface to reduce management and servicing needs.

7. High Availability: Windows Server 2008 provides increased system availability to maximize system uptime and increase productivity. It actively monitors the state of installed roles and displays proactive data about potential failures to help reduce potential downtime. Failover Clustering as part of Windows Server 2008 provides new features that an organization can use to implement a High Availability strategy, making cluster servers a smart business choice for the enterprise. A new management interface provides the IT professional with a simple interface to create, manage, and use clustered servers. New tools reduce cluster configuration setup and maintenance issues. New functionality allows implementation in geographically dispersed environments, allowing the technology to adapt to the customer’s environment. High availability is enabled in Windows Server 2008 by failover clustering, as well as the file and print server roles.

Windows Server 2008 eases the task of managing and securing multiple server roles in an enterprise with the new Server Manager console. Server Manager in Windows Server 2008 provides a single source for managing a server's identity and system information, displaying server status, identifying problems with server role configuration, and managing all roles installed on the server.

Server Manager is an expanded MMC that allows IT Professionals to view and manage virtually all of the information and tools that affect their server's productivity. Commands in Server Manager can be used to install or remove server roles and features, and to augment roles already installed on the server by adding role services.

A server role describes the primary function of the server. Administrators can choose to dedicate an entire computer to one server role, or install multiple server roles on a single computer. Each server role can include one or more role services, best described as sub-elements of a role. The following server roles are available in Windows Server 2008, and can be installed and managed by using Server Manager.

First set of roles...

1. Active Directory Certificate Services: Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) enables creation and management of digital certificates for users, computers, and organizations as part of a public key infrastructure.
2. Active Directory Domain Services: Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) stores information about objects on the network and makes this information available to users and network administrators. AD DS uses domain controllers to give network users access to permitted resources anywhere on the network.
3. Active Directory Federation Services: Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) provides simplified, encrypted identity federation, and Web single sign-on (SSO).
4. Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services: Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) provides a store for application-specific data.
5. Active Directory Rights Management Services: Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) can help protect information from unauthorized use. Active Directory Rights Management Services is information protection technology that works with Active Directory Rights Management Services applications to help safeguard digital information from unauthorized use. Content owners can define exactly how a recipient can use the information, such as who can open, modify, print, forward, or take other actions with the information. Organizations can create custom usage rights templates, such as "Confidential—Read Only" that can be applied directly to information such as financial reports, product specifications, customer data, and e-mail messages.
6. Application Server: Application Server provides central management and hosting of high-performance distributed business applications, such as those built with Enterprise Services and .NET Framework 3.0.

Second set of roles...

1. DHCP Server: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server enables the central provisioning, configuration, and management of temporary IP addresses and related information for client computers.
2. DNS Server: Domain Name System (DNS) Server translates domain and computer DNS names to IP addresses. DNS is easier to manage when it is installed on the same server as Active Directory Domain Services.
3. Fax Server: Fax Server sends and receives faxes and allows you to manage fax resources such as jobs, settings, reports, and fax devices on this computer or on the network.
4. File Services: File Services provides technologies for storage management, file replication, distributed namespace management, fast file searching, and streamlined client access to files.
5. Network Policy and Access Services: Network Policy and Access Services provides support for routing LAN and WAN network traffic, creating and enforcing network access policies, and accessing network resources over VPN and dial-up connections.
6. Print Services: Print Services manages and provides access to network printers and printer drivers.

Third set of roles...

1. Streaming Media Services: Windows Media Services delivers a continuous flow of digital audio and video content to clients across a network.
2. Terminal Services: Terminal Services provides technologies that enable access to a server running Windows-based programs or the full Windows desktop. Users can connect to a terminal server to run programs, save files, and use network resources on that server.
3. UDDI Services: Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) Services organizes and catalogs Web services and other programmatic resources. A UDDI Services site consists of a UDDI Web Application connected to a UDDI Database.
4. Web Server: Web Server provides a reliable, manageable, scalable Web application infrastructure and support for HTML Web sites. It can also provide support for ASP.NET, classic ASP, and Web server extensions.
5. Windows Deployment Services: Windows Deployment Services (WDS) provides a simplified, secure means of rapidly deploying Windows operating systems to computers by using network-based installation, without the need for an administrator to work directly on each computer, or install Windows components from CD or DVD media.
6. Windows® SharePoint® Services: Windows SharePoint Services helps organizations increase productivity by creating Web sites where users can collaborate on documents, tasks, and events and easily share contacts and other information.

Check out this new way of doing search (requires Silverlight)!  Go to www.tafiti.com and enter your search query.  Then feel free to play around with the various options.  Pretty neat.

Channel9 podcast: http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/Microsoft_Conversations_with_Jon_Udell
on10.net video: http://on10.net/Blogs/larry/first-look-microsoft-tafiti/

It would be an exciting year ahead with 3 key products that will be launched in early 2008. They are ....

Look out for more exciting news!

There's definitely a LOT of innovation coming out of the Singapore ISV community. Join Chewy as he talks to one of our very own startup companies, TenCube, featuring their solution, WaveSecure. Check out their video:

One of our local ISVs, Advanced Interactive Technologies (AIT) stepped up to building the very first Sideshow gadget for the ASUS W5Fe. Check out their video on channel 9.

The second edition of Microsoft Architect Council happened on 7 Aug afternoon. We had a good small group of senior folks from different enterprises to hear myself and my special guest, Lup Yuen from NCS to share about Web 2.0 technologies, specifically on Silverlight, ASP.Net AJAX, Windows CardSpace, Windows Live Platform - Virtual Earth and so on, Popfly. There seems to be quite a bit of interest from the audience on building cool applications on Silverlight and Mashups using Popfly. Hopefully with Microsoft technologies, our enterprise customers can build Web 2.0 applications that are much faster and more impactful.

Here are some visual memories of the seminar...

Here are some quick information on Silverlight....

Silverlight Resources 

• a good site to check out specific information is at: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/faq.aspx
• system requirements: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/system-requirements.aspx

Technical Definition

Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of Microsoft .NET–based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web

Simple Definition

Silverlight is a presentation front-end to deliver rich media such as video, animation and rich interactive applications over the web. 

Platform and Browser Support

Supported operating systems:

- Windows XP (with SP2), Windows Vista, Windows 2000 (soon)

- Apple Mac OS X 10.4.8+  (PPC and intel)

- Linux (soon - through 3^rd party)

Support web browsers:

- IE 6, IE 7

- Firefox 1.5, Firefox 2.0

- Safari

Minimum system requirements

- PC: x86, 500MHz CPU, 128MB RAM

- Mac OS X (PPC) : PPC G4 800 MHz, 128MB RAM

- Mac OS X (intel): Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83 GHz, 128MB RAM

Info here: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/system-requirements.aspx

Silverlight Versions

Silverlight 1.0:

- Current version Release Candidate – Go-Live license included

- Planned Release to Web (RTW) on 1 September 2007

- Silverlight 1.0 RC is available as a 1.4MB download for Windows, and 4.8MB download for Mac

Silverlight 1.1

- Current version alpha – Go-Live license not included

- Planned Release-to-Web (RTW) is 1H 2008 (likely March)

- Silverlight 1.1 alpha is available as a download for Windows & Mac

Key differences between Silverlight 1.0 and Silverlight 1.1:

- Silverlight 1.0 focuses on delivering media experience (esp. video) and supports JavaScript-based programming model

- Silverlight 1.1 will extend 1.0 and extend into the Rich Interactive Application (RIA) space. It also includes the .NET core runtime (CLR or Common Language Runtime) and incorporate a more flexible programming model support for .NET languages (C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript, Ruby, Python)

Silverlight Media & Audio Information

Audio & video format support in Silverlight:

- Silverlight supports Windows Media Audio and Video (WMA, WMV7–9) and VC-1, as well as MP3 audio. Additional formats may be available by the final release based on customer feedback.

- VC-1 is an industry-standard video format, recognized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and most notably ships in all HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc–certified electronics, hardware, and tools. Windows Media Video 9 (WMV-9) is the Microsoft implementation of the SMPTE VC-1 standard video codec. Microsoft initiated development of the standard with the release of WMV-9 to SMPTE.

- Silverlight supports 720p, HD quality with considerable performance benefits over other solutions. Performance is dependent upon the central processing unit (CPU) capabilities of your computer and configurations. Generally, in testing, a 3-gigahertz (GHz) CPU and/or dual-core support greatly benefit the HD playback experience.

- Silverlight does not currently support MPEG4, H.264 video, AAC audio or Flash video. However, these formats can be transcoded (e.g., by automated server function) into Silverlight

- For content providers, Silverlight will support digital rights management (DRM) based on Microsoft PlayReady content access technology in Silverlight 1.1

Server & Services Information

Web Server support:

Silverlight works with any Web server just like HTML does. Video and audio content can also be progressively downloaded and played back from any Web server platform. Benefits of Windows server-based distribution of Silverlight applications include Windows Media Services with Fast Stream (instant playback) and Fast reconnect technologies, lower distribution costs (streaming users only download what they watch), and tap into the full Windows server ecosystem of platform components and partner solutions. Those benefits will be enhanced in the future version of Windows Server 2008 and with IIS 7.0.

Upcoming Technologies (Windows Server 2008):

Windows Server 2008 raises the bar significantly on security, reliability, and robustness, and it is already considered to have excellent live and streaming delivery. New investments are being made in two key areas: IIS 7.0 and Windows Media Services.

- Windows Media Services (WMS): Under development for Windows Server 2008 to provide advanced streaming media support, enabling significantly more scalable live and on-demand broadcasts that build on the industry-leading availability, cost-efficiency, and uptime offered by Windows Server 2003 today. Silverlight joins the list of client platforms that can connect to and present WMS streamed audio and video as an integrated part of media-enabled applications for the Web, whether you are building a simple cross-platform, browser-based media experience or a rich interactive application (RIA) for the Web.

- IIS 7.0: For customers who prefer to use IIS for progressive download of media-enabled applications and experiences, Microsoft announces the IIS 7.0 Media Pack. The IIS 7.0 Media Pack reduces the cost of delivering downloaded content, such as media, thanks to bit-rate throttling. The IIS 7.0 Media Pack will be a free download for customers of Windows Server 2008 later this year.

Windows Media Service:

More information about network capacity planning to set up and support streaming server with Windows Media Services at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsmedia/deploy/wmdepgd.mspx#EOFAC

The Windows Server 2008 Developer Training Kit includes a set of hands-on-labs and presentations for technologies such as IIS7, Management, WCF, WF, Windows CardSpace, Windows PowerShell, Virtualization and the Transactional File System (TxF).

Download it and get started today at the Microsoft Download Center by clicking this link

Thailand has just been announced as the worldwide winner for the Imagine Cup 2007 competition.  Congratulations to the Thailand team!

As probably expected by many including myself, Halo 3 is now breaking the record for pre-orders in the video game industry.  The retail release date is scheduled for September 25, and having played the Alpha and Beta, I simply can't wait.  See you on XBox Live.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20196977/

For those of you who are interested to learn about Windows Server 2008 in your own time, take advantage of our Virtual Training Series today!

Along with Jessica Tan (MP East Coast GRC, and GM Microsoft APAC) and Marcos Pinedo (Director, Microsoft APAC), I spoke at the CJC Career Day for the IT track.  We had about 70 students in audience, although I did notice that only 1/6 were female and even less were already intent on going down the IT path when I asked (oh well, maybe they were just shy in raising their hand).  Nonetheless, I was happy to see that many of the students stayed behind even after the talk ended to ask more questions and see more demos.

I promised that I'd post a few links so here they are:

• Popfly is a great way for non-professional developers to get started creating applications/mash-ups in a visual manner: http://www.popfly.com/.  Popfly Channel9 video: http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=308515
• Visual Studio 2005 Express offers students and hobbyists a free development environment to create simple to complex applications: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/
• XNA is a game development platform that allows you to target the PC and the XBox 360: http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/game/

I have to say that this marketing campaign is quite interesting.  It's something that you can so easily relate to and picture yourself in.

http://blog.coolz0r.com/2007/08/01/the-meltdown/