I'm in the UK right now attending the ACCU conference in Oxford.  C++ developers just don't get out like they used to, and ACCU is one of only a few conferences worldwide with firm majority of attendees being C++ develoeprs and a program featuring cutting edge C++ content.  I've split my time between working the Microsoft stand, meeting with customers, attending a few sessions, and preparing for some talks I have next week.  One of the things that stands out almost immediately as I talk with folks hanging around the MS stand is the average C++ IQ among attendees is very high.  People are tackling tough problems, and the questions they tend to ask are thoughtful ones.

We also had the opportunity to meet with a customer that has was I believe to be the largest commercial mixed-mode application that uses C++/CLI to take advantage of .NET platform features on top of a highly performance-sensitive, native code core.  These guys are on the forefront of native-managed integration, so it was very enlightening to learn about some of the issues they're having that are important for us to address in VC++ going forward.  In particular, I'm hoping that we can make some improvements in dependency analysis and build througput for mixed apps in Orcas.

Earlier this week I ran a VC++ 2005 Accelerator Lab event for ISVs just a few miles away in Reading.  The majority of attendees were looking to port VC6-base MFC applications to VC2005, and we were able to get them most of the way there in the lab.  The labs are a always great opportunity for me to keep it real because I'm on the hook to actually help ISVs migrate their code, so there's no doing fancy PowerPoint stuff to talk around the issues.  :)

Next week, I and other folks from the VC++ team will be speaking at two events in France.  First, a Microsoft event in Paris on Monday, April 24, followed by a DevConnections in Nice on Tuesday, April 25.  If you're in the neighborhood, I hope to see you there!