pdcnews

!exploitable Crash Analyzer

Larry Larsen — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:50:00 GMT

!exploitable (pronounced "bang exploitable") Crash Analyzer is a plugin for the Windows Debugger that parses your crash logs and gives you two important pieces of information. First, it will collate all of your crashes and determine exactly how many there actually are. So for example, out of 60 crash reports, there may only be 2 or 3 actual problems.

The second thing it does is look at the type of crash and try to determine if the error is something that could be exploited by a malicious hacker. This means that more junior employees can work these bug issues without taking the time of more senior examiners. Jason Shirk from the Security Core team joined us to take a look at !exploitable. To download the app, go to: http://www.codeplex.com/msecdbg.

Meet the Industrial Design Team

Larry Larsen — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:09:00 GMT

Truth be told, I'm just a huge fan of the Arc Mouse. I like everything about it and along with earbuds and phone it's a gadget that I always tend to have in my pocket. Recently while sitting on hold I spent far too long fascinated by the mouse and all the considerations that were taken in by the designers. It's time we introduce you to the folks who come up with Microsoft's hardware. They are Ralf Groene, Team Manager, Design Leads Monique Chatterjee and Jan Raken, and Industrial Designers Kate Bailey, Lindsey Kujawski, Chris Kujawski, and Anthony Reed.

I would have loved to show you the area they work in, but because far too many forthcoming miracles are in various states of foam and sketch around the room, it wasn't to be. But suffice to say it's one of the coolest spaces I've seen yet with offices circling a common space with Foosball and a kegerator. No cube farms here. So join me and meet the people who make it easy to take gadget comfort for granted.

First Look: Microsoft Surface Stove

Larry Larsen — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:40:00 GMT

Here is a first look at a new product out of MSR that uses a Microsoft Surface computer integrated as a drop in replacement for a stove top. The diffused glass normally used for a Surface is replaced with a tempered glass which is then heated with an array of lasers that heat the stove top while giving you all the same features found in other Surface computers. It can heat up to 520 degrees and uses only 30% of the energy of a comparable stove top, recouping the added cost over the course of several years, depending on how often you use your stove.

Explore Live Mesh at MIX09

D. Begley — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:26:00 GMT

Learn how to extend your existing Web applications and get them to live and breathe within Live Mesh. MIX09 sessions provide Devloper's insight into Microsoft's Live Framework and Mesh Services. For the latest details go to: http://2009.visitmix.com

Special Discount for MIX09: Part of Microsoft's family of technical conferences

D. Begley — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:45:00 GMT

The PDC is part of a whole family of Microsoft technical conferences. PDC (November 17-20, 2009 in Los Angeles) is focused on the future of the Platform and technical strategy. MIX (March 18-20, 2009 in Las Vegas) is for designers and developers who build innovative web sites. Tech·Ed (May 11-15, 2009 in Los Angeles) is for developers who are looking for training and guidance on Microsoft products that are shipping or soon to ship.

We're offering discounted MIX09 conference passes at $795 USD (that’s over 40% off the full price) to the first 200 people to register. To take advantage of this offer, go to registration and select the "Register for the event using an RSVP Code" option. Enter the RSVP code MIXspecial1 to receive your discounted conference pass. This is a real, live, bona fide MIX09 conference pass that allows you access to keynotes, sessions, the party, the food, the lounges and much more!

Coding4Fun Book Released

D. Begley — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:20:00 GMT

Did you have a chance to see the Coding4Fun booth in the Channel 9 Lounge at PDC2008? Following up on the fun stuff displayed at PDC, C9 host Dan Fernandez has released his new book: Coding4Fun: 10 .NET Programming Projects for Wiimote, YouTube, World of Warcraft, and More.

So what happened during the sessions at PDC?

D. Begley — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:18:00 GMT

Yochay Kiriaty, PDC2008 team member and author of a new blog for Windows 7 Developers, has announced the release of PDC Proceedings for the sessions held at PDC. In a conference as big as the PDC, you may not always go to every session you want. This new resource aims to help fill that gap. While videos of sessions are available, it takes time to sit through them to see if they have the content you want, and who has time to sit and watch 400 hours of content? Download a short summary of 80+ sessions by going to the session and in the resource area select Proceeding (Detailed Session Description). See example here.

Supplement Your PDC Experience

D. Begley — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:54:00 GMT

Supplement your PDC online or in-person experience by joining local and Microsoft Corporation subject matter experts for a 1-day MSDN Developer Conference held in one of 11 U.S. cities. Choose 4 sessions from 3 tracks or get your questions answered in the community courtyard. Take the time to connect locally and explore the recent announcements on Windows 7, the Azure Services Platform and more.

All the Post-PDC Content Information In One Place

D. Begley — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:16:00 GMT

Check out the wonderful new blog posting that Mike Swanson has made featuring where to get all the PDC2008 content, codes and session details.

Overflow Session for TL32

D. Begley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:05:00 GMT

TL32 Microsoft Visual Studio: Customizing and Extending the Development Environment 404A (FULL) to 405 (FULL) to 401 (FULL) to 308A!

Session Overflow Thursday at 8:30 AM

D. Begley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:04:00 GMT

BB11 Identity Roadmap for Software + Services is overflowing from 411 (FULL) to 405 (FULL) to 401

VS 2010, Oslo, WCF, WF, and Dublin PDC Bits Review

Marcelo Belinazo — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:59:00 GMT

As many Europeans attending PDC, blogger Alan Smith took advantage of the extra "free time" from the time zone difference to play around with the bits delivered to attendees. You don't wanna miss his meaty review of VS 2010, Oslo, WCF, WF and Dublin. See full story here.

All VSIP Passport Winners Announced

D. Begley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:54:00 GMT

Scott Leonard, from ESA Tallahassee Operations, is the VSIP Passport drawing winner for Wednesday, October 29. Kaimal from Texas System won on Tuesday, October 28 and William Wallace, from Motive, Inc., is the VSIP Passport drawing winner for Monday, October 27. All have won Xbox Elites.

Take PDC with you!

D. Begley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:45:00 GMT

Thank you for joining us at PDC2008. We hope you enjoyed engaging with Microsoft and the developer community around our latest Software + Services announcements and offerings.

The action continues on Channel 9 and MicrosoftPDC.com where you will find PDC2008 sessions and keynote recordings posted, as well as session PPT Decks, PDC Proceedings and more. In addition, all the press releases, bios, videos, and links to additional resources are available for you in the Virtual Press Room.

Want to relive the good times we had this week? Check out and upload PDC2008-tagged pictures at Flickr.

And don’t forget to save the date for PDC09: November 17-20, 2009 in Los Angeles. We look forward to seeing you next year.

Announcing PDC2009

D. Begley — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:40:00 GMT

Announcing PDC2009: November 17-20, 2009 in Los Angeles, CA. After 3:00 PM PST (GMT-8), Thursday, October 30 you can add your name to the PDC2009 mailing list to receive all the latest information.

PDC 2008: Microsoft says Game On

Marcelo Belinazo — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:50:00 GMT

Dion Almaer (Google) shares his thoughts about some of the things he saw at PDC 2008. "Windows Azure looks great. The “on premise” feature looks particularly intriguing. If they can bridge the data center and the cloud, they have something quite compelling… I am curious about the details… Even though we knew about this (PDC announcements), I don’t know if we thought they were this far along. Microsoft is executing." Read Dion's post here.

Video: Microsoft's 'SecondLight' project

Marcelo Belinazo — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:43:00 GMT

Todd Bishop posted a video with the demo run by Microsoft researchers on Wed showing a project called SecondLight, an extension of the company's Surface tabletop computer. Technical details about this project can be found here.

Session Cancelled

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:45:53 GMT

ES18 Business Considerations for Cloud Computing at 4:45PM in Petree Hall has been CANCELLED

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:45:00 GMT

TL15 Architecture without Big Design Up Front is overflowing from 403AB to 405 (FULL) and 401 (FULL) and 308A

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:44:00 GMT

PC54 Mono and .NET is overflowing from 515B to 518 (FULL) to 511ABC

View Published Session Videos

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:46:00 GMT

Access PDC2008 videos by clicking on the desired session title in the session browser and selecting "play" icon located in the session details. Please note that the session recordings open up in a Channel 9 window. Scroll down to resources to download the session PPT deck.

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:14:39 GMT

TL16-R The Future of C# (REPEAT) is overflowing from 502A to 511ABC

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:13:19 GMT

PC30 ASP.NET Dynamic Data is overflowing from 411 to 405

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:13:00 GMT

BB18 “Dublin”: Hosting and Managing Workflows… is overflowing from 403AB to 308A

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:12:40 GMT

PC43 Deep Dive: What’s New with user32 and comctl32 in Win32* is overflowing from 406A to 401

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:48:36 GMT

PC39 Inside the Olympics is overflowing from 411 to 405

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:47:50 GMT

BB25 SQL Server 2008 is overflowing from 515A to 308A.

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:47:22 GMT

TL22 Concurrency Runtime Deep Dive is overflowing from 408B to 511ABC

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:46:55 GMT

TL24 Improving .NET Application Performance and Scalability is overflowing from 153 to 518

Announcing PDC09!

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:21:32 GMT

November 17-20, 2009 - Los Angeles (Yes, here again!!)

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:09:00 GMT

TL43 Microsoft XNA Game Studio: An Overview is overflowing from 501B to 518.

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:06:00 GMT

PC35 Silverlight Controls Roadmap is overflowing from 404A to 401 (FULL) and 308B.

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:00:00 GMT

TL60 Improving Code Quality with Code Analysis is overflowing from 409A to 405 (FULL) and 308A.

jQuery and Microsoft: Repercussions of Yesterday's Announcement

Marcelo Belinazo — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:48:00 GMT

Microsoft announced yesterday it is looking to make jQuery part of their official development platform which means that jQuery will be distributed with Visual Studio. The news got a positive reception by the jQuery team: "we are quite excited by these prospects and wishes to take this opportunity to welcome both companies to the jQuery community." Blogs posts by Scott Guthrie and Scott Hanselman, both at Microsoft, have posts on the subject matter from their perspective.

Windows Media Center in the PDC Build of Windows 7

Marcelo Belinazo — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:26:00 GMT

If you are attending the PDC 2008 you received a pre-beta Windows 7 build yesterday (6801) which contains many features the Windows Media Center team has been developing over the past year. Charlie Owen from the Media Center team took a few minutes to outline some of these new features for you. Full story here.

Live Blog of the Microsoft Research Keynote

Marcelo Belinazo — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:55:00 GMT

Missed today's keynote? Wanna know more about The Worldwide Telescope, Project Boku (lightweight programming environment for kids) or SecondLight (extending surface computing)? Just visit the live blogs BetaNews and All Star Bloggers.

Meet Rick Rashid from MSR

Larry Larsen — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:50:46 GMT

Go to the MSR lounge to meet with Rick Rashid until 11:15 today.

Session Repeat

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:43:02 GMT

Managed Extensibility Framework: Overview

[REPEAT SESSION] October 29th, 4:45PM – 6:00PM in Room: 409A

[REPEAT SESSION] October 30th, 8:30-9:45AM in Room: 402A

Session Cancelled

Nic Fillingham — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:34:38 GMT

Windows Server 2008 R2: Using Classification for File Lifecycle Management, October 30 @ 12:00 has been CANCELLED

Ray Ozzie on Azure, Office Web, and Openness

Marcelo Belinazo — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:33:00 GMT

Interviewed by Steve Gillmor, Ray talks about the changes happening inside Microsoft three years after he wrote the famous Services Memo. Full interview here.

Microsoft Delivers Surface SDK

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:30:00 GMT

Microsoft here.

SecondLight: A Magic Lens That Goes Beyond the Surface

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:29:00 GMT

The brainchild of Microsoft Researchers, SecondLight is a rear projection-vision surface technology that extends and enriches Microsoft Surface through the ability to project images both through and beyond the surface display, to a translucent piece of plastic for instance. With SecondLight, the translucent piece of plastic can also function as a “magic lens” that when passed over an image displayed on the primary surface – a car, for instance - provides a view of the “inner workings” behind the image. In another application of this so-called “layering effect”, the transparency could register images of constellations when passed over a surface displaying the night sky. The technology also permits gesture-based interactions with the surface from farther away than back projected systems allow.

Boku: Turning Programming Into Kid's Stuff

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:29:00 GMT

Boku is a fun, intellectually-stimulating game, developed by Microsoft Research, that introduces kids to programming while they play. Through programming Boku, a virtual robot, kids learn the basic principles of logic, analysis and design used in programming. The 3-D interactive game is designed to demystify programming and spark kids’ interest in a career in science. Kids as young as nine have already used Boku in trials to create their own games.

Save the Date: PDC09!

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:28:00 GMT

We’re excited to announce we’re back in LA next November 17–20, 2009 for our next PDC. Mark your calendars!

Robochamps: Help Explore the Red Planet

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:28:00 GMT

Opportunity’s exploration of the Endurance Crater on the Martian surface among other challenges. The competition brings robotics to a broader audience by overcoming the prohibitive cost, lack of access and specialist knowledge associated with physical robots. Based on Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008, RoboChamps enables students, developers and hobbyists to program virtual robots using the .NET languages. RoboChamps will form part of the 2009 Microsoft Imagine Cup, the world’s largest student technology competition.

Micrsoft Demonstrates DryadLINQ

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:04:00 GMT

Developed by a team from Microsoft Research, DryadLINQ is a powerful programming environment that enables ordinary programmers to write large-scale data parallel applications to run on large PC clusters. The platform comprises Dryad, a distributed execution engine that allows reliable, distributed computing across thousands of servers for large-scale data parallel applications, and the .NET Language Integrated Query, or LINQ, which allows developers to write and debug applications in a SQL-like query language, using the entire .NET library and Microsoft Visual Studio.

Microsoft Announces CCR & DSS Toolkit 2008

D. Begley — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:04:00 GMT

The Microsoft® CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008 delivers a set of .NET and Compact Framework class libraries and tools that enable developers to better deal with the inherent complexities of creating loosely-coupled concurrent and distributed applications. The Toolkit is designed to help developers take advantage of the Concurrency and Coordination Runtime (CCR) and Decentralized Software Services (DSS) originally released as part of Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio. Microsoft CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008 provide early adopters with access to select technologies today; transitioning to Microsoft’s .NET Framework in the future. To learn more about Microsoft CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/ccrdss

Azure and Architects: Clouds in the Sky?

Marcelo Belinazo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:00:00 GMT

Justin Davies introduces an interesting discussion: the impact of Microsoft Azure for Enterprise Architects. He ponders: "for many organisations Architecture = Microsoft has simplified a very complex debate and cut short many a 12 month engagement for budding enterprise architects." What do you think? Join the conversation here.

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:36:21 GMT

Windows 7: Using Instrumentation and Diagnostics… is overflowing from 404A to 308A

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:32:00 GMT

Microsoft Silverlight 2 for Mobile is overflowing from 408B to 405 (FULL) and 401

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:29:00 GMT

“Oslo”: The Language is overflowing from 151 to 511ABC (FULL) and 518

PDC Buzz on Twitter

Marcelo Belinazo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:18:00 GMT

The conversation is happening now and here are the highlights:
Andrew Connell: "Azure, VS10, Win7... PDC2008 ROCKS!!!!"
John Osborn: "Applause for multiple WebConfig files to support dev and deployment scenarios..."
Robert Hallock: "Steve Sinofsky demonstrated a build of Windows 7 that was only 500MB small. It ran on an Eee PC w/ 1GHz CPU & 1GB DRAM. Daddy want."
Brady Anderson: "Watched some impressive Live demos at PDC2008”
DevHawk: "Did the Gu just say Silverlight is installed on 100 million machines? 25% of all internet connected machines? wow."
Daniel Cazzulino: "Web.config with support for Web.Debug.config, Web.Release.config, Web.Staging.config, etc.. KILLER!!!"

First Look of Windows 7

Marcelo Belinazo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:52:00 GMT

Windows 7 was demoed for the first time this morning at PDC 2008. Even if you attended the Keynote you can't miss this recap wrote by Ed Bott full of screenshots and details about the cool features of the new OS.

Ray Ozzie Reflects on Azure

D. Begley — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:43:00 GMT

Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie appears on Channel 9 for a quick chat about the complexities of designing and implementing the Azure Services Platform, his key take-aways from PDC2008 and his guiding architectural principles for Azure.

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:00:20 GMT

Windows 7: Best Practices for developing for Windows Standard User is overflowing from 501B to 518

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:59:34 GMT

SQL Server 2008: Dev Large Scale Web Apps is overflowing from 411 to 405

Session Overflow

Nic Fillingham — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:58:32 GMT

WPF Roadmap is overflowing from 515B to 511ABC

Session Overflow

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:00:59 GMT

TL59 Visual Studio Debugger Tips & Tricks is overflowing from 409A to 518.

Office Web: What People Are Saying

Marcelo Belinazo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:29:00 GMT

Microsoft announced this morning that the next release of Microsoft Office will include “lightweight”, browser-based versions of some of its main office software products - Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote (read the full story). Here is what people are saying: Joel Oleson thinks this is a pretty exciting stuff! Joe Wilcox wants to know “how will Google competitively respond, particularly since Microsoft has disclosed its plans?” Mark Hachman thinks that “Office Live compatibility with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari is a nice touch.” Henry Blodget notes that “Microsoft finally appears to have launched its own Google Apps killer.” And you? What do you think?

Session Repeat

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:07:01 GMT

Session: TL46-R
Title: Microsoft Visual C# IDE: Tips and Tricks [REPEAT]
Original Date, Time: October 27^th, 12:45-1:30PM
Original Room: 403AB
Repeat Date, Time: October 29^th, 12:00-12:45PM
Repeat Room: 502A

Meshfied Applications = Awesome Sync + Social Networking

Marcelo Belinazo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:56:00 GMT

Earlier this morning, Ori Amiga has joined Treadwell on stage, showing a "Meshfied" photo application automatically synching files between different machines and mobile devices . Live Mesh will have a broader beta starting later this week, with new features and support for Macs and Windows Mobile 6 phones. More details about this demo and the second PDC 2008 Keynote here.

The Best of Web and Windows Development with Visual Studio and .NET

D. Begley — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:29:00 GMT

Microsoft continues to help make it easy for developers to use their existing skills to build applications from the Web to the desktop, through both the recent Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 service packs, and the forthcoming Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 releases. Building on Monday’s announcements that Visual Studio and the .NET Framework will make it easy for developers to create applications for the new Azure Services Platform, the company revealed that Visual Studio 2010 and the .NET Framework 4 innovations will help developers build next-generation applications for Windows 7 and take advantage of new features in Windows 7, such as the Ribbon and support for multitouch enabled interfaces. Several other areas of improvements in Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 were shown, with a focus on Win32, C++, ASP.NET, Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation.

Build Rich Social Applications with Live Services

D. Begley — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:27:00 GMT

Microsoft today demonstrated many capabilities of the Live Services platform, including how developers can build rich applications and experiences that can be extended to over 400 million users of the company’s Windows Live services such as Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger. Microsoft also emphasized that its Live Services platform is the means by which products such as Windows Live, Office Live and Xbox LIVE deliver experiences that span beyond the level of a single PC, mobile device or the Web, and that these same capabilities are now being offered to developers through its Live Services platform.

The company demonstrated many aspects of Live Services including Live Mesh. Live Mesh is a service for synchronizing any user’s documents, media, files and application data across multiple PCs and devices, and is available as an open beta at http://www.mesh.com for Windows and Windows Mobile. At PDC2008, those same powerful synchronization capabilities of Live Mesh have for the first time been opened to developers through a Technology Preview of the Live Framework, enabling Web developers to extend their Web applications to a world of Windows-based PCs and extending their Web applications offline.

Office Web Applications Extend Office to the Browser

D. Begley — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:25:00 GMT

Microsoft demonstrated its new Web applications for Office showing how anyone can use all of the Web, phone, and PC versions of Office to edit the same rich document, switching among them seamlessly with lossless file compatibility. Office Web applications for Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be available to individuals through Office Live, and to businesses though a hosted subscription and existing volume licensing programs. This offering will be compatible with familiar Web browsers from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. Microsoft will release a private Technical Preview of Office Web applications later this year. Customers interested in learning more are encouraged to sign up for Microsoft Office Live Workspace here.

Microsoft Shares First Code of Windows 7

D. Begley — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:16:00 GMT

Microsoft rallied software developers by sharing the first full public demo of Windows 7. Windows 7 extends developers’ investments in Windows Vista and encourages the creation of new applications and services for the Windows platform. PDC attendees will get the pre-beta build of Windows 7. Microsoft plans to release a full Windows 7 beta early next year.

Windows 7 is designed to make everyday tasks faster and easier, and make new things possible for end users. It reflects an evolved approach to engineering that incorporates customer and partner feedback more closely into the development process. It will deliver innovative new features while focusing on application and device compatibility.

Session Repeat

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:12:32 GMT

Microsoft Silverlight, WPF and the Microsoft .NET Framework: Sharing Skills and Code [REPEAT]Original Date, Time: October 27^th, 3:30-4:45PM
Original Room: 403AB
Repeat Date, Time: October 29^th, 10:30-11:45AM
Repeat Room: 515A

"Damn, Windows 7 is Looking Goooood"

Marcelo Belinazo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:12:00 GMT

Get an inside scoop on Windows 7 and what the community is saying after the recent PDC 2008 announcements and demos. Follow the live blogs BetaNews and 8 Live Bloggers (Ed Bott, Paul Thurrott, Kip Kniskern, Mary Jo Foley, Rafael Rivera, Tom Warren, Todd Bishop, and Long Zheng).

Steven Sinofsky discussion in Open Space

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:50:39 GMT

At 12:45pm on Tuesday, Steven Sinofsky will be in Open Space leading a discussion with customers on what was announced and discussed during Day 2’s keynote.

Room Change

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:49:18 GMT

Windows 7: Welcome to the Windows 7 Desktop moving from 502A to Petree Hall CD (12:45-1:30 Tuesday).

Session Change

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:48:03 GMT

Windows Server 2008: Using Classification for File Lifecycle Management moving from 10/28 - 3:30 to 10/30 - 12:00

Repeat Session

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:48:00 GMT

A Lap Around Windows Azure - 515A (3:30-4:45 Tuesday).

Show Off and VSIP Passport Winners Announced

D. Begley — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:16:00 GMT

The Show Off votes have been tabulated, and we have winners! In third place: Clipboard History for Visual Studio; in second place: Multi-Channel Virtual Earth and in first place… Brian the Build Bunny. These entries will each recieve $500 Visa Gift Cards. Check out these innovative creations on Channel 9.

William Wallace, from Motive, Inc., is the VSIP Passport drawing winner for Monday, October 27. He is the winner of an Xbox Elite.

Windows 7 Screenshots

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:18:00 GMT

You might have noticed that the version of Windows 7 given out at PDC is a pre-beta developer preview. You might also notice that this copy looks a lot like Vista. No doubt you're wondering what different parts of the post-pre-beta Windows 7 will look like, so we've secured and uploaded some Windows 7 screenshots for you to check out. See them here.

First Look: Office 14 for Web

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:16:00 GMT

Wouldn't it be cool if all the Office applications worked online, cross-browser from anywhere with AJAX and/or Silverlight? Or maybe even from your cellphone? What would be even better is if they had real time collaboration, integrating the rich client with the web clients. Well, wish no more because all of the above is going to be a part of the next Office Suite.

Want to see how it works? Check out this visit from Antoine Leblond, Senior VP of Office Productivity Apps. We'll show you a little about how this works, why we're doing it, and demo working on documents together with a co-worker.

More on Windows Azure

Marcelo Belinazo — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:31:00 GMT

Since this morning's Windows Azure announcement, a lot of details have materialized. Peter Bright provides a rundown of what was announced today.

Missed a Session Today?

Larry Larsen — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:35:06 GMT

You can see any PDC session 24 hours after it ends by going to Channel9.MSDN.com.

Microsoft Azure Aims to Re-define the OS

Marcelo Belinazo — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:45:13 GMT

Blogger Richard MacManus was among a small group of people who had a roundtable today with Microsoft executives Ray Ozzie, Bob Muglia and Amitabh Srivastava. The topic of conversation was Microsoft Azure, the cloud computing operating system announced earlier today. Richards asked Ray Ozzie about the relationship between Azure and the core Windows (in particular the new version, Windows 7). Read Ray’s answer for this question and much more here.

Experience WorldWide Telescope at PDC

D. Begley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:36:00 GMT

See the same images that scientists at NASA use for their research and then perform your own research with those images by using WorldWide Telescope. Take a 5 minutes to check out some cool stuff Microsoft Research and their partners are currently working on in the Big Room.

Tonight:

Larry Larsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:02:49 GMT

Partner Expo Reception, 6:30pm in the Big Room

Don’t miss Show Off tonight, 8:30pm in room 403

Ray Ozzie: "Windows Azure represents a major platform shift in our industry."

Marcelo Belinazo — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:35:37 GMT

This morning, Ray engaged audience members by reminding them that Microsoft executives "viscerally understood" that for the company to be successful, developers also had to be. Microsoft Watch considered Ray's keynote "refreshing and down-to-earth. His early delivery was unusually engaging for someone who often is too heady in his delivery." Read the full story here.

Windows Live ID committed to OpenID

D. Begley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:35:00 GMT

Beginning today, Windows Live ID is publicly committing to support the OpenID digital identity framework with the announcement of the public availability of a Community Technology Preview (CTP) of the Windows Live ID OpenID Provider.

You will soon be able to use your Windows Live ID account to sign in to any OpenID Web site!

The Windows Live ID OpenID Provider (OP) enables anyone with a Windows Live ID account to set up an OpenID alias and to use that alias for identification at an increasing number of OpenID 2.0 relying party sites.

Session Updates – New Date/Time

Larry Larsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:00:39 GMT

Windows 7: Writing your Application to Shine on Modern Graphics Hardware
October 28th, 5:15-6:30PM – Room 408B

Windows 7: Unlocking the GPU with Direct3D
October 30th, 12:00-1:15PM – Room 408B

Bluehoo Application hosted on Windows Azure

D. Begley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:32:00 GMT

Steve Marks invited Jonathan Greenstead, CEO of Sentinent on stage during Monday's PDC2008 keynote to demo Bluehoo, a rich application hosted by Windows Azure. Built in Silverlight and coded entirely in Visual Studio C++, Bluehoo is a location-based social networking tool to see people that are nearby.

Identity: Enabling Adoption of Services

D. Begley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:45:00 GMT

Today at PDC, we announced the availability of some new identity related services and technology, specifically the Microsoft Federation Gateway (full release) and the Microsoft Services Connector (community technology preview) - both of which make it possible for organizations to easily adopt Microsoft services and applications built by third parties using the Azure Services Platform. Read full details here. You can also view the PDC08 session detailing these technologies here: http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/bb29/

Live Blogging from PDC08: Ray Ozzie Keynote, Windows Azure Announcement

Marcelo Belinazo — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:45:00 GMT

Get the details about Windows Azure and other technologies announced this morning from the live blogs BetaNews, CNET or the community live blogging session done by Long Zheng, Ed Bott, Paul Thurrott, Kip Kniskern, Mary Jo Foley, Rafael Rivera, Tom Warren, and Todd Bishop directly from the fist PDC 2008 Keynote.

Windows Azure Announced

D. Begley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:07:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Oct. 27, 2008 — Today, during a keynote speech, Ray Ozzie, Microsoft Corp.’s chief software architect, announced Windows Azure, the cloud-based service foundation underlying its Azure Services Platform, and highlighted this platform’s role in delivering a software plus services approach to computing. The Azure Services Platform is an industry-leading move by Microsoft to help developers build the next generation of applications that will span from the cloud to the enterprise datacenter and deliver compelling new experiences across the PC, Web and phone.

Free Channel 9 T-Shirt!

Larry Larsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:19:48 GMT

The Channel 9 team will be giving out free t-shirts at 3:00PM today in the Channel 9 lounge located in the big room. Don’t miss it.

Expectation builds up for Windows 7 announcements @ PDC 2008

Marcelo Belinazo — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:49:49 GMT

Last Fri, Microsoft posted the "Windows 7 Software Logo Program for Client." The 58K document is a quick download if you're curious, and can be found here. Charlie Azman blogged about the move. Is Microsoft trying to get the Windows 7 'buzz' going early? Or maybe, just maybe, Microsoft is pushing Windows 7 out faster than a lot of us think?

Welcome to PDC2008

D. Begley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:47:00 GMT

We're excited to have you here in L.A. to engage in in-depth discussions around upcoming technologies and the future direction of the Microsoft platform.

The Place To Be

Larry Larsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:13:48 GMT

Where should you go when you’re not in sessions? Visit the Pavilion, PDC Lounges, Open Space and the Partner Expo located in the Big Room.

Show Us Your Pics

Larry Larsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:12:51 GMT

Tag your photos PDC2008 for Flickr and Facebook.

Don't Forget

Larry Larsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:11:52 GMT

Your feedback is important to us! Please fill out Session Evaluation forms at MicrosoftPDC.com.

Special Thanks!

Larry Larsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:36:08 GMT

Thank you to PDC2008 sponsors!

What PDC 2008 Attendees Will Get

Marcelo Belinazo — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:34:58 GMT

How many times in the past year has anyone asked about a product, a service or a strategy to be told by Microsoft officials: “Just wait till the PDC. We’ll explain all”? Finally, that promised “tell-all” date is here. Microsoft PDC 2008 kicks off next week. Mary-Jo Foley reveals what attendees will get starting tomorrow morning.

Send Us Your PDC Videos!

Marcelo Belinazo — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:28:31 GMT

Attending PDC? Planning to capture all the action on camera? Don't forget to send your PDC videos to our Content Manager, Mike Swanson. Take a look at his post "Send Me Your PDC Video" for more details.

Sharepoint Enthusiast? You Don't Wanna Miss This Event

Marcelo Belinazo — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:09:00 GMT

"SharePoint by Day, SharePint by Night - PDC 2008 Edition", coordinated by Andrew Connell, is a serious candidate for the most sought-after social pre-PDC event. In his own words: "We’ll be doing another SharePoint by Day, SharePint by Night in LA the Sunday (Oct 26th) @ 7PM before PDC 2008 officially kicks off. So check into your hotel, drop your bags off and come on over to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel bar and join us (a few SharePoint MVPs will be there as well as a few folks from the SharePoint teams @ Microsoft).

Pack Your Bags... PDC 2008 is Here!!!

Marcelo Belinazo — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:36:00 GMT

It's fun to watch the excitement and anxiety now that attendees around the globe are packing their bags and getting ready for PDC 2008. Aali, a developer for Avanade, says he "can't wait to head to Helsinki airport and travel to Los Angeles where the famous PDC is held again this year. That is something I have waited for the last three years, so needless to say I expect it to be the ultimate Microsoft developer conference!" Rob Miles, lecturer at the University of Hull in the UK, wrote "the good news is that I'm presently preparing for a trip to PDC 2008 in LA. The way I see it, if I further my knowledge about technology and gadgets and stuff this will all feed into my teaching and make my lectures even more better than they already are." Robert Anderson is also going to PDC and while he wants to hear more about Windows 7, his excitement come from "meeting and hanging out with people." The Altova team is busy preparing to head to LA and exhibit at next week's PDC. They invited attendees to "stop by and visit us at booth #711, where we'd be happy to show you a demo of the Altova MissionKit tools for .NET developers. We may even have some nice swag and a drawing for you to enter."

What's Next After PDC 2008?

Marcelo Belinazo — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:30:00 GMT

MDC! Building on the buzz, excitement, and industry-changing announcements of the PDC, the MSDN Developer Conference (MDC) will deliver the core message, content, and experience of the PDC in a one-day, multi-track event to multiple cities across the United States. Microsoft Evangelists Brian Johnson and Jennifer Marsman highlight the events that are scheduled to take place in Houston, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington, New York, Boston, Detroit, Dallas, San Francisco, and San Diego.

Ballmer Promotes Windows Cloud, PDC 2008

Marcelo Belinazo — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:27:57 GMT

The noise around PDC went up last week when Steve Ballmer, speaking at the final keynote at the Gartner Symposium in Orlando, came to the stage and explained why people should care about Microsoft’s cloud OS: “We have a big announcement in two weeks at our Professional Developers Conference and we’re going to run through this stuff,” said Ballmer.

Follow PDC All Star Bloggers

D. Begley — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:59:00 GMT

Microsoft enthusiast and blogger Long Zheng arranged for seven bloggers to participate in All Star Blogging from PDC: Ed Bott, Mary Jo Foley, Kip Kniskern, Rafael Rivera, Paul Thurrott, Tom Warren, and Long Zheng. The group will be contributing to a single Coveritlive blog so you’ll be able to read all posts from one site. The link to read the live blog will be embedded into their PDC section and the coverage will include all the latest on Windows Strata, cloud computing, Live Mesh and of course Windows 7.

We Love Robots

D. Begley — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:44:00 GMT

At Microsoft, we love Robots. Turns out, we’re not the only ones. Our friends at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have brought a full scale replica of the Mars Exploratory Rover to display in the “Big Room” next to the Robotics Booth. In addition, some of the actual engineers and scientists from the Pasadena lab working on the Rover will be on-hand to answer questions and geek out with PDC attendees. Make sure to stop by, get a picture of yourself with the Rover, and ask all those questions you have for the “rocket scientists” at NASA!

Meet Silverlight Authors and Anders Hejlsberg at PDC2008

D. Begley — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:04:00 GMT

There's going to be some great stuff going on in the bookstore @ PDC -- including some book launchings, book signings and more. Anders Hejlsberg, who will be signing copies of the C# Programming Language on Monday, October 27 at 3:30 PM, will only be around for 30 minutes, and we're expecting a lot of people to show up!

"Oslo": Building Textual DSLs

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:24:00 GMT

As PDC approaches, the buzz surrounding the Microsoft’s modeling platform, “Oslo,” grows louder and louder. The “Oslo” modeling language sits at the center of the “Oslo” platform, and has the potential to change the way developers think about modeling. Join Chris Anderson and Giovanni Della-Libera's session on Day 4 of PDC to learn how you can use the “Oslo” SDK to build your own Domain Specific Language. Learn not only how to put your DSL to work, but how to create an interactive and textual development experience that is a dramatic improvement on today’s solutions.

Put the PDC in your pocket!

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:12:00 GMT

Go to: http://m.microsoftpdc.com/ for the PDC mobile experience.

Rick Rashid: A Researcher’s Researcher

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:12:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: 17 years in the same job? Yep, Senior Vice President of Microsoft Research, Rick Rashid has been doing the same thing since the first day he joined the firm, and he’s still loving it. Listen to Rick talk about all of the cool innovation coming out of MSR, and he foreshadows his PDC keynote warning audience members to be thoughtful about where they sit during his speech. Hmmm. Whatever in the world could that possibly mean? Who cares! Mike’s got apple pie in this, his final PDC Hard Hat Challenge. Bonne chance!

Sessions Times Posted

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:11:00 GMT

Plan your PDC experience using the timeline view introduced on Thursday, October 16. This updated view of sessions allows you to navigate sessions based on day, time and location. Additionally:

If you already have identified and selected sessions for your “My Sessions” group, look for those sessions to be highlighted in green. Select "My Sessions" to view, print or add to your Outlook calendar.
If you have not created a “My Sessions” group, add/remove sessions in real-time by selecting the check box next to the session listing itself.
Looking for a specific session? Select a technology tag, level or speaker to view those sessions highlighted in blue.
Selecting sessions in the list view has not changed – you are still able to read session abstracts, read speaker bios and obtain resource materials and get access to session recordings (after a session has been presented).
Blank time blocks are placeholders and will be updated when sessions are added, repeated or to indicate an overflow location.

We hope this helps you as you plan out your week in Los Angeles at PDC2008!

L.A. Insights: Cinephile's Delight

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:11:00 GMT

Angelenos have a well-deserved reputation as laid-back -- but when it comes to movies, they can be as passionate and serious as the most diehard cinephile. There are convenient places to check out the latest high-profile releases – like downtown’s no-frills Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex, or the pricey ArcLight in Hollywood. But part of the fun of living in such close proximity to the movie capital of the world comes from the many special screenings and in-person appearances by filmmakers. The week of the PDC is no exception...

To find out more about the nuts-and-bolts of movie-making, you could check out a behind-the-scenes workshop by Richard King, sound editor for the year’s biggest film: The Dark Knight. On Monday night, he’ll be talking at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater with music editor Alex Gibson about how the two approached the project, complete with pre-dub and post-dub excerpts from the film. If you’ve ever wanted to ask writer/director Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) a question, he’ll be doing a Q&A after a screening of his 1999 film Election at the U.S.C. film school on Thursday.

The week of the PDC is also a great week for documentaries. None other than the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences screens Oscar-winning documentaries each Monday, and on the 27th, will be showing two of the winners from 1993: Defending Our Lives, about abused women driven to kill their tormentors, and I Am A Promise, about an inspiring Philadelphia principal in a low-income school. Doc producers will be in attendance to discuss. On Tuesday, the Egyptian will be screening Lioness, a new doc about five female soldiers who saw combat in Iraq, even though technically women are not supposed to be under fire. And along with a panel of distinguished academics, U.S.C. professor Joe Saltzman will screen and discuss Black on Black, the Emmy-winning documentary he produced in 1968 about the devastating riots in South L.A. during that unquiet decade.

Lastly, the annual film festival of the American Film Institute will begin on October 30, which may give you an incentive to stay in town an extra day or two. Opening night will kick off with the world premiere of The Soloist, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx, based on the true story of an L.A. Times columnist who befriends a homeless, mentally-ill man on skid row who turns out to be a trained classical musician. But make sure to buy tickets in advance!

Monday, October 27, Behind-the-scenes look at the sound of The Dark Knight (free), Egyptian Theater, Hollywood, 7:30 – red line to Hollywood and Highland.

Defending Our Lives and I Am a Promise ($5), Linwood Dunn Theater, Hollywood, doors open at 6:30 – red line to Hollywood and Vine, walk 4 blocks south to 1313 Vine St.

Tuesday, October 28, Lioness (free), Egyptian Theater – red line to Hollywood and Highland;

Black on Black (free, although RSVP requested at annenberg.usc.edu/rsvp), Annenberg Auditorium, 5 P.M. -- Take southbound commuter Express Bus 422 from stop in front of convention center at Pico and Figueroa -- bus terminates at Jefferson and Hoover, at USC campus. Marked as “ASC” in grid square D4 on this map.

Thursday, October 30, world premiere of The Soloist ($25; $125) – red line to Hollywood and Vine; $25 screening held at Arclight Theater; $125 at Cinerama Dome next door, 7 P.M.

Q. & A. with Alexander Payne and screening of Election (free; although email map.

The Devil’s Field Guide to the PDC2008

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:11:00 GMT

The long awaited “The Devil’s Field Guide to the PDC” is the ultimate insider’s guide to having the best PDC experience ever. It answers questions that attendees of any type of large Microsoft conference event ponder, for example:
• Where do all the Microsofties hang out after the event?
• How do I get the backchannel instead of what the mainstream media wants me to hear?
• How do I avoid standing in lines?
• How do I maintain my stamina?
• How do I talk to a Microsoftie who can actually help me?
Of course, there is a lot more to know so get inside the field guide to find out!

PDC2008: We don't need no stinkin' badges!

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:10:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: We don't need no stinkin' badges! Yes you do-- if they’re PDC Badges! Collecting PDC Badges is the way for anyone attending PDC to capture their experience at the PDC conference. Just for showing up at registration you’ll receive the “I was there at Microsoft PDC2008 Badge”. If you go to a PreCon, you’ll get the “Captured Brain Power Early” Badge. Not every Badge is that easy to get though. Only a few will obtain the exclusive “Keynote Front Rower” Badge or the “Coded4Fun” Badge.

The best part is that everyone is joining in! You will find Badges available from the Conference, Product Groups, Sponsors and Attendees. Find more details on collecting or creating your own Badges from Adam Kinney, the Badge Evangelist.

L.A. Insights: Music Highlights during PDC

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:10:00 GMT

The Los Angeles music scene may not be as cohesive as when jazz clubs lined Central Avenue in the 1940s or when Axl and friends emerged as the kings of the Sunset Strip in the 1980s – but there are always a huge number of live events going on, from classical to hip-hop to country to rock to bebop. We’ve picked out some downtown-centric music highlights for the week of the PDC.

For a gold-plated experience, you could head up Bunker Hill to the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall. Living jazz legend Dave Brubeck will be appearing with his quartet on Sunday; and on Wednesday, bossa-nova icon Milton Nascimento will be singing with the Jobim Trio, which lists the son and grandson of the immortal Antonio Carlos Jobim among its members. You could also head to Disney’s smaller Redcat Theater, which tends to program avant-garde artists – on Wednesday, experimental musician Meredith Monk will unveil an “immersive theatrical environment” that will use a choir, vocal ensembles, a string quartet, percussionists, and visual elements to represent various religious states. For one of the best bargains in the pricey world of high culture, stop in at the prestigious conservatory known as the Colburn School--on Sunday night, two of the faculty pianists will be giving a joint recital, which is free as long as you request tickets in advance.

If all of this sounds too highfalutin, consider the rugged DIY punk club known as The Smell. They don’t serve alcohol, but admission is usually just $5-10 dollars, and they’ll be having a full slate of acts on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. You also might head over to Redwood Bar and Grill, which books local indie rock acts most nights. If you’d prefer hearing inexpensive live jazz, head over to 7 Grand, which has free local performers after 10 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. You could also try Little Tokyo’s 2nd Street Jazz Bar, where you can hear young, local players for the cost of a 2-drink minimum at the bar, or a small cover at tables – Wednesday is DJ night, where everything from rare groove to electronica might be heard.

For higher-profile concerts, you’ll have to get on the subway. (Staples Center and the newcomer Nokia Theater, the two biggest downtown venues, aren’t having concerts early in the week). At the turquoise, art-deco theater known as the Wiltern in Koreatown, indie rockers Against Me! will headline on Tuesday.

Over in Hollywood, the Hotel Cafe has become an important venue for upcoming folk and singer/songwiter types to get noticed, and has inexpensive shows 7 nights a week. The Knitting Factory Hollywood will be featuring a variety of acts, including the metal festival Appease the Beast 2 on Sunday and a Latin hip-hop showcase on Wednesday. The Catalina Jazz Club is one of the two most prestigious jazz clubs in the city. They’ll be featuring a variety of second-tier players throughout the week, except for Sunday, when the outstanding chanteuse Tierney Sutton will be appearing. And since no price is better than free, keep your eyes on the Amoeba Records calendar of in-store performances – it’s standing room only, but a great way to catch up with an unknown up-and-comer or an established star.

Disney Concert Hall, including the Redcat
Dave Brubeck Quartet ($36-99)
Milton Nascimento with Jobim Trio ($36-89)
Meredith Monk and Ann Hamilton ($30)
Heewon Kwon and Jeffrey Lavner recital at Colburn School (free)
(Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center,” and walk uphill on Temple to Grand; to avoid the climb, take DASH Bus Route B)

The Smell (typically $5-10)
(Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center”; walk south on Hill St. until you reach 2nd St. make a left and walk east for 2 ½ blocks until you pass an alley just west of Main St. the Smell entrance located in the alley, just north of 2nd).

Redwood Bar and Grill (cover charge: $0-$5)
(Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center”; walk south on Hill St. until you reach 2nd St. make a left until you hit 316 W. 2nd)

7 Grand (music free)
(Blue, red, or purple line to 7th St./Metro Center; walk three blocks east to 515 7th St.)

The Wiltern (Against Me! $25 general admission)
(Purple line to Wilshire and Western)

2nd Street Jazz ($10 at tables, or 2-drink minimum sitting at bar)
(Red line to Civic Center; or DASH bus “Route A,” but only up until 6:30 P.M).

Knitting Factory (tickets $5-40)
Catalina Jazz Club ($10-40, plus 2-drink minimum; please note that even pedestrians enter through the parking garage behind the club, which looks like an office building from outside)
(Red line to Hollywood and Highland).

Hotel Cafe (tickets typically $10-15)
Amoeba Records (free)
(Red line to Sunset and Vine).

Parallel Computing at Microsoft

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:10:00 GMT

The manycore shift provides exciting opportunities for developers to create innovative natural and immersive computing experiences that harness the performance power of multi- and manycore processors.

Multi- and manycore architectures have immediate applications in games, digital media, computer-aided-design, business intelligence, data mining and virtual worlds.

In order to make it simple for developers to make the manycore shift, Microsoft plans to deliver a comprehensive and integrated stack of technologies including a concurrency runtime, programming models, language extensions, libraries and tools that simplify the writing of correct, efficient, maintainable and scalable parallel programs, for both native and managed developers.

In Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, Microsoft is investing in new technologies such as the Concurrency Runtime, .NET Framework libraries such as the Task Parallel Library (TPL), Parallel LINQ (PLINQ) and the Parallel Pattern Library (PPL) for developing native applications with C++ and debugging and profiling tools. Additionally, Microsoft is making ongoing investments in existing technologies such as Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). Microsoft’s CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008 provides new technologies for building loosely-coupled, highly concurrent, and distributed applications.

At PDC, Microsoft is offering a pre-conference on "Concurrent, Multi-core Programming on Windows and .NET," (see interview with Stephen Toub), a symposium on “Parallel Computing – A Detailed Look at How Multi-Core Architectures will Unleash Computing Power and Enable Innovation” and several sessions on Microsoft's technologies for both native and managed developers. Click on the "Parallelism [9]" tag in the sessions list for information about each session.

Download a Community Technology Preview of Microsoft’s Parallel Extensions to the .NET Framework, learn how Microsoft’s technologies can make parallel computing simpler, and interact with other software professionals on delivering innovative software experiences built on the performance power of manycore architectures. Additional videos on Parallel Extensions can be seen here on Channel 9.

Countdown to PDC2008 Ambush Dan and Brian, Taking Over their C9 Show for 10 Groovy Minutes

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:09:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: Brian and Dan may have day jobs, but they are also doing a ton of work on PDC including running the Show Off contest. Show Off is a really cool experience, but it’s kinda hard to explain in writing so Brian and Dan give it to us in plain words and tell us how easy it is to get involved (and maybe win some big prizes). Plus, we hear all the PDC sessions are going to be online within 24 hours for FREE! Is that really true!? The guys confirm for us the dealio on the cool PDC virtual experience, and tell us what to expect.

Test your applications for compatibility on Windows 7 at PDC

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:09:00 GMT

While you’re at PDC be sure to check out the Windows Application Compatibility and Quality Lab. This lab is available for you to test your applications for compatibility on Windows 7, and will be offered free of charge.

The Windows Application Compatibility and Quality lab at PDC provides a private developer environment for testing and debugging application issues. Just bring in your applications to the lab where you’ll find dedicated consultants on hand to support you in investigating application compatibility and give architectural guidance.

You can pre-register for a 2-hour sessions in the lab by simply emailing srglabs@microsoft.com.

Sneak Peak at Live Platform Services

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: What are the platform infrastructure details behind the Mesh technologies? Corporate Vice President of Live Platform Services, David Treadwell, will be spilling all the beans in his PDC keynote in just a few weeks, but in this Q&A he gives us a sneak peek. David explains how there’s so much more to Mesh than just the user experience, and how he and his team will be revealing the underlying particulars that fall below the line at PDC – the platform infrastructure that helps developers build stellar Software + Services apps. And did Treadwell mention bits that will be given out at the PDC? We think he did, but you gotta listen to find out more about what the PDC team affectionately calls the "goods."

L.A. Insights: A Business Meal That’ll Impress the Boss – On A Budget

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Downtown L.A. offers a huge array of choices for business meals. But you’ll make your boss happy not only by picking out a top-notch restaurant, but by avoiding over-priced culinary blowouts that look bad on an expense report.

The south end of the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Hall houses Patina – it’s a soothingly elegant restaurant, with an interior of dark greens and browns, illuminated by latticed yellow lighting fixtures. The dinner menu tends to a sophisticated international style, and is not cheap. But there is a 2-course business lunch special that costs just $25, with the same highly-attentive service that you receive for a far heftier check (a recent special consisted of squash soup with micro-cilantro, followed by lamb croquettes over fava beans). Patina is the crown jewel of a restaurant group with many constituents – and the sister restaurant Cafe Pinot is also worth visiting, and not just for the inventive California cuisine. This “California bistro” sits in the public garden of the Central Library, and there’s nothing like cypresses and flowers blowing gently in the breeze to take your mind off of a hectic week – did you forget that this is L.A., where it’s generally sunny even in late October?

Patina can claim to be the best restaurant downtown in part because longtime powerhouse The Water Grill lost its chef, who departed to start the rapturously-praised Providence (which is accessible only by a drive to Hollywood). The Water Grill still makes for a fine meal though, in spite of the somewhat dated wood bar and beige-toned mural. The menu will appeal if you like meticulously-prepared fish that incorporates a crazy-quilt of international flavors, from foams to cous-cous to chorizo to the German pasta called spatzle. The “fruits of the sea platter,” consisting of a huge range of chilled shellfish over ice, is a delicious way to eat light, and costs a not unreasonable $35/person.

Across the street at the Hilton is the Checkers Downtown Restaurant, which combines fussiness and casual comfort in a way that has made the place a mainstay for L.A. power lunches. The white tablecloths, stiff-backed chairs, and reticent wait staff give the place a coldly-formal feel. But downing a smoky steak sandwich or a buttery crab cake as natural light streams in from high windows will have you feeling like a local insider.

Over at Cicada, the pricey Northern Italian menu is decent, but the real draw is the richly evocative art-deco dining room, originally constructed during the roaring 1920s. And for a more casual atmosphere, make your way over to Wood Spoon, which serves Brazilian specialties like roasted meats and the fried minced chicken dumplings called coxhina. The narrow front door opens into a high-ceilinged dining room, where colorful abstract paintings adorn white walls. The huge strip of cinnamon that flavors the carafe of cold water on your table is a great symbol of the chef’s attention to detail.

Patina (1 lunch course $9-26; 2 course prix fixe business lunch special $25; 1 dinner course $17-49;) – Take the red or purple lines to “Civic Center,” and walk uphill on Temple to Grand; to avoid the climb, take DASH Bus Route B)

Cafe Pinot (lunch entrees $17-30, dinner entrees $22-38), Water Grill (lunch entrees $25-46; dinner entrees $33-48), Checkers Downtown (lunch entrees $12-26; dinner entrees $15-32) , Cicada (dinner only, entrees from $23-42) -- red, purple or blue line to 7th St/Metro Center).

Wood Spoon (salads $8, sandwiches $8-10, Brazilian grill $11) – Take DASH Bus Route E to 9th St. and Los Angeles – walk west past Main and Spring St. to 107 W. 9th St.)

This event is so hot, the T-Shirts caught on fire!

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Early Tuesday morning, September 30th, Pacific Sportswear Inc., the contract screenprinter for eCompany Store, had a fire in the facility producing the PDC attendee t-shirts. The PDC T-shirts were damaged. Pacific Sportswear ordered more shirts and found another printing facility in Tacoma to print the shirts in time for shipping to L.A.. I just came back from a press check and the shirts looks great. You can check my pictures out from the press check here. Special thanks to Mark and Stacy for going above and beyond to getting the shirts to L.A. on time!

King of the Geeks, Scott Guthrie, Previews PDC Keynote

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: As Corporate Vice President of the .NET Developer Division, Scott will be giving a talk on client development covering both Silverlight and WPF at the PDC. What else does the 6’4” Dev Div chief chat about in this quickie interview? Silverlight 2, jQuery, and so much more. Plus Scott reminisces about his favorite PDC, and answers the question about whether he still gets nervous when he gives a big speech. Does he? You’ll just have to watch the video to find out!

A Behind-the-scenes glimpse at getting the word out about PDC

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:07:00 GMT

PDC is a truly unique event for developers and architects that is built by developers and architects at Microsoft. Every week for the past five months the PDC team has met to create the unique 2008 experience. Lots of ideas get put on the table. We know that PDC is more than sessions. We took a moment to provide you this behind-the-scenes glimpse at getting the word out. PDC is about networking with peers. It's about getting questions answered during Ask-The-Experts. It's about getting your hands on all the bits that are at PDC before anyone else does! From the badges to the Show Off contest, the Lounges to Open Space and more...PDC is an event that can't be missed!

PDC Buzz is amping up on the Blogosphere

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:07:00 GMT

Things are heating up a bit. Have you heard the latest buzz on the blogosphere re: PDC2008? "By the time we finish our PDC, there will be nobody out there with a wider range of Cloud Computing services as Microsoft." - Steve Ballmer

Amazon announced that their could platform will soon support Windows Server and other MS technologies. In his post, Jeff Bezos shared more details about the technologies supported, services provided, and pricing strategy. He also announced that the E2C team will be at the PDC in October where more details will be announced.

Werner Vogels asks developers to keep an eye on E2C Blog and PDC2008 for more information about Windows on Amazon Web Services. Zach Bonham Allen, a software developer at Mary Kay points out that the Amazon team will be at PDC - be sure to check them out! The Virtualization, Windows, and Infrastructure Blog summarizes the offerings of the major players and remembers that MS is very well positioned to make this successful as large shops will be able to modify existing internal .NET services and applications to leverage portions of its cloud offering which will be announced at PDC.

Jas Dhaliwal, an MBA student and blogger, recently attended a conference in London where Steve Ballmer suggested that Microsoft is about to announce a new operating system, codenamed “Windows Cloud," at the PDC in late October. Ballmer said: “We need a new operating system designed for the cloud and we will introduce one in about four weeks, we’ll even have a name to give you by then. By the time we finish our Professional Developers Conference this month, I think you’ll have to say, that there is nobody out there with as wider range of Cloud Computing services as Microsoft including dare I say it, Google".

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 announced! Martin Woodward points out that while Team Foundation Server is already very mature, there will be a new version of TFS in the 2010 release with significant improvements and enhancements. He says, "It is fantastic that the lid is starting to open on the 2010 release in the build up to PDC and that we can start talking publically about all the great stuff in the next version." Anthony Borton, an MVP VSTS, commented on the announcement: "With PDC less than a month away, Microsoft has started delving into the goodie bag and sharing some of the news with the developer community a little early… Microsoft always has a wide range of new announcements lined up to tantalize even the most conservative developer."

PDC attendees are in for a treat: everyone going will get a 160GB hard disk with a copy of all the software on show, including Windows 7. Bloggers around the world went crazy with the news… don't believe it? Check this out: VistaKnowledge.com, NetworkWorld, MorninPaper, CRM Watcher, Wilson Rothman, Gizmodo (France), Software Zone (Spain), KeroDicas (Brazil), IncubaWeb (Spain), Anh 2 lúa (Vietnam), Ceneje (Slovenia), Dariusz Śmigiel (Poland), and many, many more!

The Multicore Info Community Blog highlights the Parallel Computing Symposium at PDC 2008. Tim Sneath got a lot of comments on his recent post where he positions the event as "the Microsoft’s flagship conference, both because of the scale and depth of content, but also because it’s unique as a time when we open up as a company and share almost everything that’s been under wraps for the previous year or so." Diane Curtis explains the WomenBuild program available for free for those registered for the event. "The program is open to all registrants who have a passion for software development, especially women and consists of pre-conference workshop on Sunday, October 26 during the afternoon, as well as a Women in Technology cocktail reception on Wednesday, October 29."

Academic Discount Still Available For PDC

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:06:00 GMT

Are you a full-time college student or faculty member? Did you know the PDC offers a special academic rate for you? Contact the PDC Registration team at session titles to go live before the PDC. The rest will be unveiled after the keynotes! Take a look at Mike's latest blog posting to get the full scoop.

Still waiting to get clearance to attend PDC?

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:05:00 GMT

Use the Letter to Your Boss to explain how this is not the typical conference that is more boondoggle than substance. The PDC is where the best and brightest come together with the technical geniuses of Microsoft. You'll get your questions answered, get insight to the future of the Microsoft platform and be the first one to get your hands on bits!

Prepare for PDC2008 with Visual Studio Team System 2010 Week on Channel 9

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:05:00 GMT

All week long the Channel 9 team will be bringing you demonstrations of Visual Studio Team System 2010 along with in-depth interviews with the product team. Click here to read about all of the details, including the schedule of upcoming content. Perfect prep for PDC2008!

Symposia at PDC: Parallel Computing and Getting Your Head in the Cloud

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:05:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: The chair of the PDC Symposia joins Mike and Jennifer this week to talk about the detailed workshops that will be offered on the last day of the conference. Parallel Computing – A Detailed Look at How Multi-Core Architectures will Unleash Computing Power and Enable Innovation and Head in the Cloud, Feet on the Ground – A Practical Look at Architectural Challenges and Opportunities with Identity, Management, Data and Interoperability in the Cloud. Together, the two PDC symposia will help developers, architects, and technical managers to better prepare for the challenges and opportunities that will come with increasingly more multi-core processing power coupled with powerful cloud-based services and platforms.

Plus yet again, Mike issues another new Hard Hat Challenge. Who has more fun, Mike coming up with the puzzles or solving them? You be the judge!

L.A. Insights: Doing Lunch-on-the-Go Downtown

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:04:00 GMT

With thousands of office workers to feed every day, downtown L.A has no shortage of restaurants. But amid the scads of so-so places, there are some truly memorable lunches to be had. There’s no need to be stuck going to Subway, unless you really want to be. (Although if you do, you’re in luck – there are no less than 10 in the downtown area).

Just a couple of blocks north of the convention center is the 84-year-old diner known as The Original Pantry Cafe, which claims to go through 750,000 eggs per year. As you might expect from that kind of plaudit, this is a 24/7 restaurant that emphasizes volume, but the quality is actually pretty good too, whether you’re looking for a hearty stack of pancakes or a roast beef plate. Just remember you have to pay in cash. For another taste of classic L.A., head to the other side of downtown, where the charmingly spartan cafeteria known as Phillipe the Original serves up what purports to be the original French dipped sandwich (roast beef with the bread slathered in juice from the roasting pan), which you order at the counter and eat at long, family-style tables in a dining room covered with sawdust. The roast beef makes for a good sandwich, but the turkey, pork, or lamb dips are also worth a try. You can wash your lunch down with a .70 lemonade or some really cheap beer, but keep in mind that this place is cash only too.

Perhaps the finest sandwich to be had in Los Angeles requires you to travel west a stop on the subway to Langer’s Deli. In a city where Jewish deli food often disappoints, the tender, spiced pastrami on rye at Langer’s invites comparisons with the best sandwiches you can find anywhere. (The place even won a culinary award from the James Beard Foundation). Langer’s doesn’t do delivery, but does offer “curbside” take-out if you have a car, and is right next to the subway station, if you don’t. You could also head a block west to Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe, a combination restaurant and community development project that makes wonderfully light and flavorful tamales, with sauces drawn from throughout Mexico and Central America. (Vegetarians will be glad to hear that the herbivore options are made without lard). And if you don’t have time to journey over and sit in the dining room, colorfully decorated with painted adobe and a huge mural of a Mesoamerican harvest scene, Mama’s will deliver downtown, for an additional fee of $10.

While Los Angeles has a shortage of good pizza – one of the reasons that car-accessible Mozza has been such a sensation – Pitfire Pizza is your best bet for delivery downtown, if you’re ordering more than $20 worth of food. Just don’t wait until you’re too hungry to order – they need 45 minutes to get the food to you. If you need something quick, you could try the well-stocked food bar at the new Ralph’s grocery store at 9th St. and Flower – they also make good rotisserie chicken. You could also head over to the Figueroa and 8th St. location of Famima!!, the Japanese equivalent of a 7-Eleven – their steamed pork buns will hit the spot.

Original Pantry Cafe ($7-15), Ralph’s (rotisserie chicken $6-11), Famima!! (pork bun $1.50) -- 7th St. Metro Center, or a few blocks walk from Convention Center.

Phillipe the Original (Roast beef dipped sandwich, $5.35) – take the red line to Union Station, or the .25 DASH bus, Route B.

Langer’s Deli (hot pastrami sandwich, $11.95) and Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe (2 tamales combo, $7.50 – Take purple or red line to Westlake/MacArthur Park.

Pitfire Pizza (15” pizza $14-20) – Take red line to Civic Center, walk three blocks east to Main, one block south to 108 W. 2nd, or take .25 DASH bus, Route D.

Dayline’s Exclusive Interview with the Brain in the Jar

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:04:00 GMT

Learn where the brain has been since PDC05 in this exclusive interview with Tina Wood. Discover what the brain likes to do when not developing software; why a jar and if it is a mascot for PDC2008? Enjoy!

Badges!? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges…

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:03:00 GMT

Yes you do if they’re PDC Badges! Collecting PDC Badges is the way for anyone attending PDC to capture their experience at the PDC conference. Find more details on collecting or creating your own Badges from Adam Kinney, the BadgeMaster.

Unveiling Windows 7 to the World: Keynote, Sessions and Pre-Beta Bits

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:03:00 GMT

Be one of the first to get a look at Windows 7. Steven Sinofsky, Senior Vice President, Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, will keynote on Tuesday, October 28.

Windows 7 is the next major version of the Windows client operating system. With Windows 7 at PDC2008 you will see advances across the full range of Windows—including the kernel, networking, hardware and devices, and user-interface. Learn more about opportunities to build on the platform’s commitment to OS fundamentals, while also enabling you to enhance your existing applications and create new applications that use the new technologies and APIs in Windows 7.

At this year’s PDC, keynote attendees will be among the first to receive the pre-beta build of Windows 7. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to attend 21 different sessions that drill down into the details of developing for Windows 7.

Four New Keynote Speakers Announced

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:02:00 GMT

In our first keynote at PDC2008 Ray Ozzie will talk about the new world of Software Plus Services, with Bob Muglia joining him, to unveil our new Cloud Computing platform.

In a second keynote, Ray will return to talk about building immersive user experiences and introduce Steven Sinofsky, who will give developers a first look at the next version of Windows, Windows 7. Scott Guthrie and David Treadwell will join Ray and Steven to dive deep on the latest Win32 and .NET platform advances that enable a next generation of user experiences spanning multiple devices, including a look at the latest developments in .NET, Silverlight, “Live Mesh”, and the rest of the client platform.

In keynote three, we turn the microphone over to coders extraordinaire Don Box and Chris Anderson, who will look at Microsoft’s latest technologies through the eyes of working developers.

And finally, in our fourth keynote, Rick Rashid will talk about how Microsoft research is helping to shape the future of computing.

Announcing Two Symposia at PDC2008

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:02:00 GMT

Each symposium consists of three related sessions on the last day of PDC, and they provide much more detail about two key topics covered throughout PDC. A Parallel Computing symposium extends the PDC discussion to how multi-core architectures will significantly increase available computing power and the opportunities that will create. A Cloud Services Architectures symposium will step back from the various cloud services covered throughout PDC and discuss how best to connect local software to key cloud services. Together, the two PDC symposia will help all developers, architects, and technical managers to better prepare for the challenges and opportunities that will come with increasingly more multi-core processing power coupled with powerful cloud-based services and platforms.

David Chappell and Jon Flanders: Perspectives on “Oslo”

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:01:29 GMT

Explore "Oslo" (the family of new technologies that enable data-driven development and execution of services and applications) at PDC during several in-depth sessions. Get insights prior to PDC from two interviews by Ron Jacobs with David Chappell and Jon Flanders. If you’re wondering about “Oslo” tools, language and repository and want to build your apps today to prepare for the road ahead, you’d then definitely want to watch these videos.

PDC2008 Comes Complete with a Hard Drive Chock Full o’Bits

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:01:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: Maybe we’ve been a little too tight lipped about what we’re going to announce at the PDC this year. We’ve dropped a few hints with some of our recent guests on the show (Amitabh Srivastava, Dave Campbell, Don Box and Chris Anderson, plus John Shewchuck), but folks want to hear more. What news will we have around the Live Mesh application platform and associated services? What about the future of the client platform, including .NET and Silverlight? And how is our services platform relevant to enterprises and ISVs who cater to enterprises? And what about Windows 7?!? Watch this video and get some really big clues.

Plus……we’re announcing the very special gift that all PDC attendees will receive: a 160gb external USB2 hard drive with all of the bits! Geek alert, geek alert. Could “The Goods” get any cooler? They just did!

Extending the Data Platform to the Cloud

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:59:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: Dave Campbell, a Microsoft Technical Fellow and SQL Server guru, talks about what his group has been working on and what they will be unveiling at the PDC. Dave is giving a session on data-driven applications that go from the device to the cloud, and the all important reduction in provisioning friction. In this Countdown episode we talk about how cloud-based data services will change the way you develop and deploy applications, and how SQL Server technologies are evolving to help build data-driven solutions that span devices, desktops, servers, and the cloud. Hear how to build applications that can be deployed using SSDS in the cloud or SQL Server on-premises, and learn how to gain insights using the BI capabilities of Microsoft SQL Server.

Vice President of Cloud, Infrastructure, & Services talks about coming out party

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:58:00 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: Amitabh Srivastava, Corporate Vice President of Cloud, Infrastructure, & Services joins Mike and Jennifer to talk about what his team will be revealing at PDC (well, he can’t really say that much yet – you’ll just have to go to the PDC to find out his news). An 11 year Microsoft veteran, Amitabh joined Microsoft in 1997 working in our Research group. Now he works for Ray Ozzie, and the PDC is the coming out party for his team and what they’ve been working on in the Services space. Amitabh does give one hint: look at their shoes!

The Brain gets more clever every day

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:57:47 GMT

Earlier we told you about the brain you could ask questions and get PDC answers from....well the brain is learning and getting more clever. Go out to: http://www.askthebrain.net/ and pose a new question or two. Share your clever and witty responses!

Did somebody say Agile PreCon at PDC?

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:57:25 GMT

When Dilbert talks about being "Agile," you know it has become main stream. This is also evident from the increased adoption of agile techniques and practices in the software development industry. Mary and Grigori just finished their duties has the program chair of the recently concluded Agile Conference and now are getting set for the Agile Pre Conference Session at PDC2008. Ajoy Krishnamoorthy sits down with Mary and Grigori in Toronto to talk about who they are, what they do in their day jobs and what they have planned for the PDC.

John Shewchuk Talks About Ushering in the Next Generation Computing Platform

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:56:48 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: Technical Fellow, and longtime PDC veteran, John Shewchuk joins Mike and Jennifer to talk about his session at PDC. What’s the scoop? He’s going to explain how easy it is to take your apps, using Microsoft’s collection of services, and make them better and easier to build than ever. What’s that you say? Listen as John shows his glee for this year’s PDC as we usher in the next generation computing platform! Are you really going to miss out on this event? Plus, after lots of begging and pleading, Mike let’s Jennifer deliver this week’s Hard Hat Challenge as Liberace listens in.

Buzz on the Blogosphere: PDC is the end of the beginning and where the real journey starts.

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:56:14 GMT

Mary-Jo Foley, one of the most viewed bloggers in the IT industry, dedicated two blog posts to discuss Live Mesh and Oslo in the last week. Mary-Jo is also connecting dots with the new sessions revealed this week. Gill Cleeren writes,"It now really cannot be denied anymore: PDC will be THE event to attend this year." Deepak Gupta says, "For the programming-minded amongst us who can’t wait to get their hands dirty, then keep your eyes locked on Microsoft’s PDC in late October where the Live Mesh SDK should be making an appearance." Dominic Green says, "Live Mesh is just getting more and more exciting and I can't wait for the announcements from PDC in late October." Laurent Kempé will finally attend the PDC. He looks forward to learn more about Cloud Services, Velocity, Oslo, Parallelism, the new version of Workflow.

Bob Foltrigg, a real-world developer and not exactly a MS fan, seems to be positively impressed with what he has seen about MS Cloud Computing strategy. David Chappell comes up with a "Clouding Platforms Paper" and it finally makes sense- Microsoft is going to give a flying damn about cloud services.

Doug Purdy, a Microsoft Product Unit Manager, announced details on how Microsoft is planning to unveil Oslo at PDC. Don Box piggybacked Doug Purdy's blog post and provided insights on how Microsoft is building this technology. Inspired by PDC2008 various moves in the area of social networking platforms, Dare Obasanjo shares how platform adoption happens in the real world in, "The 3 Laws of Platform Adoption: Why Developers Choose Platforms and What it Means to You." Paul van Brenk highlights the news that 55 more sessions have been announced making the current total 139 sessions and still more "secret stuff" is coming.

More Sessions Announced!

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:55:20 GMT

We just published over 50 new sessions on our way to over 200 total sessions at the main event in October. Hear how the NBC Olympics site was built and about lessons learned. Learn what’s in store for the future of ASP.NET. Have some fun with XNA and game development, or go in-depth with IronRuby. Other topics include: Live Mesh, Office Communications Server, SQL Server 2008, FAST, Silverlight, Oslo, Visual Studio Team System, Virtualization, SharePoint, Dynamics, and more! And while we have to hold back some of our “secret” sessions until they’re announced at PDC, you can expect a lot more on Windows 7.

L.A. Insights: Mexican Food

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:54:50 GMT

Like the movie business, powerful cars, or the Lakers, Mexican food is a topic on which Angelenos hold passionate opinions. (For example, check out this thread by self-proclaimed “heavyweights” on the dining site Chowhound). While some of most highly-lauded places are accessible by car, downtown and the subway will serve you very well on your quest for the ideal taco -- if you know where to look.

If you’re pressed for time and can’t leave the convention center, there’s a serviceable Mexican food window in the South Hall. But you if you head north only a few blocks, there’s Ciudad, located in a roomy space full of splashy art, and serving pan-Latin food distilled through the sensibility of an American culinary academy. It’s a bit pricey, so maybe stop in to try it during happy hour, where you can get 2 tacos, a margarita, or a beer for $4 each. For a very different kind of experience, stroll over to the bazaar and food court known as the Grand Central Market – the sawdust on the floor should tell you all you need to know about ambience. But as for food, the crisp, smoky meat in the tacos at Ana Maria’s will make you glad you made the trudge. In contrast, a highly touristy experience awaits you at Olvera Street, the site of the original settlement known as “Los Angeles,” back when the town consisted of 44 people in 1781. Today there are a lot of tchochkes and tourist traps – but also some gems. La Luz Del Dia will make you a mean combo plate for about $6. And Mr. Churro offers a fine version of the Mexican dessert after which it’s named: it’s basically the equivalent of a long, pointy donut, filled with either strawberry, caramel, or custard cream.

For a more refined take on Mexican cuisine, hop the subway to Chichen Itza in Koreatown, which serves the blend of Spanish, Mayan, and Lebanese food native to the Yucatan. Unlike the corner taqueria, Chichen Itza features a variety of salads and meats flavored with sour orange juice and the Aztec spice known as epazote. You could also head over to the Oaxacan oasis known as Guelaguetza, where the creamy, slightly sweet sauce known as mole flavors everything from tender roast chicken to the tortilla chips. They also make delicious roast meats.

If you prefer some well-dressed young people with your Oaxacan food, truck on over to the brand-new Hollywood location of Loteria Grill. You can order your taco, burrito, tostada, or soup with one of their rich, spicy sauces that’ll make you wonder how you lived without it before now.

Ciudad (at 5th and Figueroa; easily walkable from Convention Center or downtown hotels; entrees $16-29)

Grand Central Market (take the red line to Pershing Square or walk from downtown hotels) Ana Maria’s (carnitas tacos $2);

Olvera Street (take the red line to Union Station, and head across the street; or take the DASH bus, route B) La Luz Del Dia (combos at about $6); Mr. Churro ($3/churro)

Chichen Itza (Purple line to Westlake/MacArthur Park, walk 1 block north to 6th, turn left, and head to 2501 W. 6th St., entrees $14-28)

Guelaguetza (Purple line to Wilshire and Normandie, walk two blocks south on Irolo St. to 3337 8th street; entrees $10-16)

Loteria Grill (Red line to Hollywood & Highland, walk three blocks east to 6627 Hollywood; tacos $3-4; burritos $8-9).

Session Update Coming and Early Bird Discount Ends Soon

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:54:24 GMT

This week's Countdown to PDC reveals a little more than before. Leaking a little bit about the upcoming session update next week. Surface, SharePoint, Live Platform, Identity, Mesh, SQL Server 2008, Exchange, Ad Platform, Office Communication Server, Windows 7, Open XML, Silverlight, ASP.NET, Oslo, Virtualization, XNA and so much more content we can hardly keep our hard hats on! Why haven’t you registered for the PDC yet?! Plus Mike issues a new Hard Hat Challenge – will the winner this week be 9 years old? And, if you’re really curious about capturing the brainpower . . . go to: http://www.askthebrain.net/

Have a question? Ask The Brain

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:53:56 GMT

Yes. Simply go to http://www.askthebrain.net/ and get your PDC inquiries answered. It's that simple.

Of the Developer, For the Developer, By the Developer = Don Box and Chris Anderson

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:53:01 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: Clothing optional keynotes, comparisons to the pains of childbirth, the joys of sharing an office, how to give a 90 minute speech minus PowerPoint and only writing 130 lines of code, and why PDC is the most special developer conference on the planet . . . this is one amusing show starring PDC keynote speakers, and developers by day, Chris Anderson and Don Box. Not to mention, Mike introduces a new PDC Hard Hat Challenge! P.S. The brainteaser from last week remains unsolved – will you be the Mensa member who can finally crack the code??

All Eyes on the Engineering Windows 7 Blog and more from the Blogosphere

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:52:32 GMT

Yes. The Engineering Windows 7 blog is getting a lot of attention. Robert Scoble blogged about some organizational changes in the Windows Client team that could positively impact Windows 7. He also refers to PDC and the Windows 7 announcements to be made at the conference: "I’m hearing that there’s some very cool stuff that will be shown at the Professional Developer’s Conference (Microsoft’s big developer conference) and that, unlike when Longhorn was shown off, that this stuff will actually be based on shipping code... I’ll see you at the Professional Developer Conference in late October."

Even with all the buzz around Windows 7, Cloud Computing and Oslo still are top of mind for developers. João Pedro Martins, a Biztalk MVP in Portugal, has been trying out the new BizTalk Services R12 release with hosted workflow support while getting ready for PDC 2008. Ahmed Salijee is ready for PDC where he expect to hear more about S+S and Oslo, particularly SQL Server Data Services and BizTalk Services. David Chappell got great responses to his paper on cloud platforms which also boosted people’s interest in Microsoft’s cloud platform unveiling at PDC.

Doug Holland from Intel call developers' attention to an interesting new addition to the .NET Framework. Microsoft Code Name "Zermatt" provides a set of .NET Framework classes designed to enable software architects and developers to bring claims-based identity to their applications. He also suggest that the "Zermatt" project will feature prominently in October at PDC2008.

Jeff Prosise from Wintellect will be delivering a precon on Silverlight 2 on Sunday, Oct 26th. He is very excited with the conference and the success Silverlight is having in the marketplace. In his own words: "Most of my work these days involves Silverlight, and I can honestly say it's been a long time since I've had this much fun as a developer. If you come to L.A. for the PDC, I'd love to see you at the precon".

Is this the year of multi-touch? Loren Heiny seems to think it is. He comments on a recent New York Times article that lays out the case that we’ll be seeing more multi-touch systems in the near future. He thinks that a big part of this is going to depend on what Microsoft delivers with Windows 7 and all eyes will be on PDC and the new Windows 7 Engineering blog, authored by Steven Sinofsky and Jon DeVaan blog.

Attending PDC? Pay a visit to the CRM booth in the Pavilion, get a glimpse of CRM Vnext and meet some of the product developers and PMs .

L.A. Insights: Like Japanese Food? You'll love Los Angeles

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:52:09 GMT

If you don’t, the city just might prompt a change of heart. The best restaurants are that good, whether in the historically Japanese-American neighborhood downtown known as “Little Tokyo,” or in Hollywood. So hop on the subway, or the daytime 25 cent downtown bus system known as DASH, and explore. (You can also walk to Little Tokyo from downtown hotels, but only if you don’t mind passing through some gritty blocks).

At the well-worn Little Tokyo spot known as Daikouya, the ramen is an essay in simplicity. Who knew that soy sauce and pork bones boiled for a day produce such a thick and delicious brown broth? Add some noodles, bamboo shots, bean sprouts, green onions, and a boiled egg, and you’ve got a sublime bowl that’ll have you swearing off Top Ramen for good. For izakaya, the Japanese equivalent of casual, “small plates” pub food, try 132 S Central Ave for Izayoi, a spare but cheery space nestled between a Quizno’s and a yogurt shop. A seafood salad with ginger dressing and a piece of grilled yellowtail picked fresh from the market nearby are light and refreshing. And to watch the old standby of grilled chicken turned into something truly adventurous and new, head over to 260 E. 2nd Street to Kokekokko, named after the Japanese term for a * crowing. The skewers of light and dark meat will make your taste buds sing, but you can also push the envelope with chicken livers, hearts, or gizzards. And they’re lucky it tastes so good, since the staff can be unfriendly, there is a 5 skewer minimum, and they run out of things later in the evening – none of which deters the place’s many repeat customers.

For a more elegant, less stressful meal, Los Angeles is one of the best places to get sushi outside of Japan. The most celebrated restaurants such as The Hump, Matsuhisa, Nishimura, Mori Sushi, and Urasawa lie west of downtown and are only accessible by car – but “very good” sushi in this town is “great” by most other standards. So you’ll do well for yourself sitting at the bar at Sushi Gen, located at 422 E Second St, in a Little Tokyo mall called Honda Plaza – their crispy salmon-skin roll tops off a meal with a savory crunch. Hollywood’s Sushi Ike, at 6051 Hollywood Blvd. offers a delicious, no-nonsense approach that will please anyone who appreciates flavorful austerity. At Katsuya (Hollywood), it’s just the opposite -- the combination of sushi and showbiz glamour in a flamboyant space designed by Phillipe Starck will strike some as odd, and the prices will strike everyone as bracingly high. But at no other establishment on this list are you more likely to see the likes of Brad Pitt, Hilary Duff or some of gals from “The Hills” dining at the next table.

Daikyokuya (ramen $8.50), Izayoi (small plates from $4.50-14; sushi $4-7 per piece), Kokekokko ($12-20), Sushi Gen ($18 and up); Red line to Civic Center; or DASH bus “Route A,” but only up until 6:30 P.M.

Sushi Ike ($18 and up;), Katsuya (Hollywood) ($30 and up); Red line to Sunset and Vine.

Windows Home Server – Filling the Gap for Services in the Home

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:51:40 GMT

Not every service in "software + services" will run in an Internet datacenter. The Windows Home Server team believes that some services should "stay at home." Want an example? How about a service that controls the energy usage in your home-- turning off the lights when no one’s around or adjusting the thermostat during peak demand hours? You probably don’t want to run that service on the Internet! But you do want it connected to the Internet - so it’s programmable remotely when you’re away and always up-to-date on energy prices.

So where should you run such a service? We posit that the ideal solution is a Windows Home Server, the stay-at-home server platform from Microsoft for stay-at-home services. Why? Because it’s a robust, connected, always-available platform enabling developers to build the next generation of services that will turn ordinary homes into Connected Homes. Learn more about Windows Home Server as Channel 9's Charles Torre talks to Program Manager MCJ Saretto, Product Manager Mark Pendergrast and Software Developer Brendan Grant, aka dahat. Since late 2007, Microsoft and its OEM partners have been deploying this platform to consumers in market-changing products like HP’s MediaSmart Server. And just recently, we also made available an update to our SDK outlining Home Server specific platform features on our development page on MSDN. To learn more on what it means to consumers, check out the interview by Channel 10's Larry Larsen.

At PDC2008, the Windows Home Server team is hosting two sessions showing how to build Connected Home Solutions on top of the Windows Home Server platform. Demos will include the home energy management service mentioned above, as well as a media streaming service that gives families access to all their media at home and on the go. The team will have some of their smartest minds on staff to answer your questions and a show-only discount on a home server to help YOU get started on that stay-at-home service. So don’t hesitate, register for PDC today, and be sure to attend the Windows Home Server sessions!

One Day Left to Enter T-shirt and Emmy Awards Contests

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:48:46 GMT

You have until 11:59 PM Tuesday, August 26, 2008 to submit entries to win $500 Visa Gift Card or a trip to the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theater in L.A. on Sunday, September 21st. Capture the essence of PDC by designing the PDC attendee t-shirt or showcasing the brain in a photo.

No purchase necessary. See complete rules for details.

Buzz on the Blogosphere: Submit a Session, What are the Tracks and more....

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:41:13 GMT

Mike Swanson highlights the top 3 questions he gets as the PDC Content Owner. Spoiler alert. They are: How do I submit a session, how do I become a speaker and what are this year's tracks? And he gives the answers.

The most popular MS Blog these days is the Engineering Windows 7 blog written by Jon DeVaan and Steven Sinofsky. They've created a lot of buzz announcing that the PDC will be one of the first venues where we they will provide in-depth technical information about Windows 7.

Dan Rigsby, Lead Software Engineer for Interactive Intelligence in Indianapolis, has been a huge fan of PDC since 2001. On a recent post, he explains what PDC is about, why you should attend, the event history, logistics and some fun facts about the event . "Anyone who uses or works with Microsoft technologies, particularly with .NET should really consider attending this conference" he says.

Mike Taulty created a placeholder for UK developers to post comments and indicate where they're going to stay and meet during PDC.

Pick Your Sessions, Build Your Agenda and Win a Trip

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:40:54 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: In this week’s edition of the PDC Countdown (only 65 days to go), Mike and Jennifer host the event marketing manager of the conference who talks about all of the great opportunities to win, win, win! Trips to LA, tickets to the Dodgers or Lakers, a movie premiere, or a trip down the red carpet at the Emmy’s could be yours. Or you could design the PDC t-shirt that will be handed out to thousands of attendees!! Wow, you could go down in PDC history if you’re the winner! Plus, I suppose we also need to talk about content and sessions. . . .so in a double whammy line-up, the creative director of the PDC appears on the show to discuss the new Agenda Builder and My Sessions user experience on the PDC web site. So much to talk about, so little time! And there’s also Mike’s Hard Hat Challenge – can you solve it in 6 hours or less? On your marks, get set, go! http://www.microsoftpdc.com/

L.A. Insights: American Food Downtown

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:40:19 GMT

With Midwesterners and Southerners flocking to Los Angeles in the 20th-century, the town is awash in outstanding, stick-to-your-ribs “American food.” If you’re looking for burgers, steaks and fried chicken heavy on flavor and light on restraint, you’ll have a ball in L.A.

The prospect of preparing classic American staples has attracted many high-end chefs. Sparked by the phenomenal popularity of the work of art in beef over at Father’s Office, different L.A. restaurateurs have been falling over themselves to trick out hamburgers with elegant touches like Kobe beef, onion and bacon compote, and blue cheese or gruyere. The uninitiated may find these ingredients precious, or wince at the $10-16 price tag, but the results can be spectacular. While Father’s Office is only accessible by car, you’ll find excellent examples of the species downtown at Pete’s Cafe and Bar or Morton’s Steakhouse (lunch only), or in Hollywood at 25 Degrees, Bowery, Lucky Devils or the Hungry Cat. At the opposite end of the burger price, but not taste, spectrum, try the tasty, made-to-order $1.74 hamburger at In-N-Out, the one chain to actually to garner praise in Fast Food Nation.

If this gourmet approach to a simple dish rubs you the wrong way, there are also numerous old-school establishments in Los Angeles stubbornly impervious to trends. The 24/7 Pacific Dining Car has been a go-to steak destination for pols, power-brokers, and Hollywood night owls from Raymond Chandler and Nicholas Cage since 1921 – and they have a free shuttle from downtown. But with steaks north of $30 and sides at $5.75, the experience won’t come cheap. Budget-conscious lovers of the T-bone should head into Koreatown’s Taylor’s Steakhouse, which offers no-attitude charm, complete with thick white tablecloths and red Naugahyde booths. And for classic Hollywood ambience Musso & Frank Grill (6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood) deserves a spot on your itinerary (there’s nary a wagyu slider or arugula salad in sight). While Musso is no longer one of the top steakhouses in town, and a bit overpriced, if you keep your order simple -- a steak, a martini, and creamed spinach -- you’ll travel back to the days when Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks were the biggest stars in town. Classy nostalgia keeps Musso fans, including Johnny Depp and Keith Richards, coming back.

And if you’re really looking to get your cardiologist mad at you, head over to the Hollywood location of Roscoe’s House of Chicken n’ Waffles (although it fills up quickly, so try to go on the early or late side). This soul food classic is as the name suggests – it’s up to you whether to add syrup or pour gravy over your fried chicken and waffles. Purists fuss that the bird isn’t sufficiently brined – but after a deeply satisfying calorie bomb of sweet and savory, most people walk out full, smiling, and vowing to hit the gym more often.

Pacific Dining Car offers a free shuttle from select downtown locations.

Subway access:
Taylor’s Steakhouse, purple line to Wilshire and Normandie.

Hollywood:
25 Degrees, Lucky Devils, In-N-Out, Musso & Frank Grill, red line to Hollywood and Highland.
Bowery, Hungry Cat, Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles; red line to Hollywood and Vine.

Chris and Don join keynote lineup

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:40:01 GMT

Chris Anderson and Don Box will be delivering one of the keynotes at this year’s PDC. For the third consecutive PDC, Chris and Don will defy the odds and perform feats of live coding against “fresh” platform technology in front of thousands of attendees. This year Don and Chris are taking an entire keynote to view a pantheon of new technologies through the lens of a text editor. As implausible as it sounds, it’s actually not that boring watching two guys code for an hour or two.

Wordle of August PDC2008 Content

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:39:34 GMT

Mike Swanson delivers again! This time with an amusing Wordle featuring the current PDC content and themes. This Wordle is nestled halfway down his third episode of "PDC2008: A Day in the Life." Take a look and enjoy.

Early Bird Discount Ends September 8th

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:38:56 GMT

Due to popular demand, the PDC2008 Early Bird Discount has been extended three weeks. If you register by 11:59 PM, Monday, September 8th, you will save $200 off the Full Conference Registration $2395. With many out for summer holidays, it just made sense to extend it out. Register today to attend the PDC and learn about the future of the Microsoft platform. You’ll hear about upcoming products, meet Microsoft’s leaders and top engineers, write some code, and be inspired! Unplug for a few days and think about the future.

Poems, Pre-Conferences, Prosise and Petzold!

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:38:27 GMT

Countdown to PDC2008: Not only does Content Owner Mike Swanson issue his PDC Hard Hat Geek Challenge in the form of a poem this week (be the first to figure it out and win a limited edition PDC2008 shirt), but Jaime Rodriguez, who is driving the PDC pre-cons, talks about all of the awesome content you can get for just a mere 400 bucks! Pre-cons plus PDC = a can’t be missed bargain. Register today!

L.A. Insights: A Trip to Koreatown

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:37:41 GMT

This vibrant neighborhood 3 miles northwest of downtown hotels has one of the of liveliest nightlife scenes in Los Angeles. When the South Korean government raised the limit on how much its citizens can invest outside of the country to $3 million last year, even more money poured into an ethnically diverse neighborhood in which Korean-Americans have the most prominent cultural presence. That means more than 450 Korean food establishments and a culture of late-night partying in the area, easily accessible via the purple line, or a $10-15 cab ride.

Korean BBQ and karaoke is a wonderful way to unwind, particularly if you’re in a group. Even if you’re new to Korean food, the BBQ concept will be pretty familiar – huge plates of meat get grilled up right in front of your eyes. A local institution to hit is called Soot Bull Jeep – the waitstaff will serve you up heaping plates of marinated beef, pork ribs, chicken, and even squid, that you then barbecue yourself on a grill in the center of your table. (Park BBQ also draws a lot of raves, but it’s a bit of a hike from the subway). The pork-enthusiasts at Honey Pig are definitely worth a visit, as they serve sumptuous ribs, bellies, and wild boar in addition to beef. Also, Honey Pig has the advantage of using gas burners – the smoke at Soot Bull Jeep tends to make you smell like you’ve been out camping. (Purple line to Wilshire and Normandie; walk south on Irolo; Soot Bull Jeep -- make a left on 8th, and walk 4 blocks east to 3136 W. 8th St., dinner $12-20, excluding alcohol. Here are some photos from enthusiastic patrons; Honey Pig, make a right on 8th St., walk two blocks and look for the giant pig sign, dinner $10-20, excluding alcohol. Here are some photos).

For more elaborate Korean cooking, and particularly celebrated examples of the traditional side dishes known as panchan, hike on over to Sa Rit Gol, an innocuous-looking gem tucked into the back of a mini-mall. Don’t let the occasionally brusque service get to you – the exquisite marinated black cod will forever change the way you look at this fish. Who knew cod could be so exciting? (Purple line to Wilshire and Western; walk south on Western 5 blocks, left on Olympic for 2 blocks, and look for 3189 W Olympic Blvd in mini-mall on north side of the street).

If you want to indulge in some karaoke after dinner, try either the luxurious, glammed-out Orchid or the no-frills but fully operational Rosen Music Center, where you can rent a private room to serenade your friends. A private room on a weeknight at the Orchid costs $50/hour, but in keeping with the Hollywood club racket known as “bottle service,” also requires you to purchase at least 1 bottle of liquor, which starts at $140. A weeknight room at Rosen is a far more reasonable $20/hour, with no bottle service requirement. (Take the purple line to Wilshire and Western; Orchid, walk east one block to Oxford, make a left and walk to 607 S. Oxford; Rosen Music Studio, walk south on Western to 8th St, and walk three blocks east to 3488 W. 8th – the entrance accessible from Hobart St.)

And lastly, if you’re coming home late, please do err on the safe side and call a cab – there is a small but non-trivial amount of street crime in the area, particularly on side streets at odd hours. Any of the companies on this list will be happy to take you back downtown.

Countdown to PDC2008: Early Bird Discount Ends August 15th

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:37:10 GMT

Joan Hoshino, the PDC Business Owner, joins Mike and Jennifer this week to discuss the last chance to save $200 on the registration fee, we answer viewer’s questions, plus we unveil Mike’s Hard Hat Geek Challenge: Be the first to answer the puzzle correctly and win a Limited Edition PDC2008 Shirt!

New PDC Contests = Fun and Prizes

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:36:50 GMT

We wanted to get your PDC2008 creative juices flowing with two new contests. Capture the meaning of PDC and submit an original PDC t-shirt design. The winner will get the joy of seeing everyone wearing their design and get a $500 Visa Gift Card. Capture the essence of PDC with a photo that uses the PDC brain and "Captures the Brainpower." The winner will win a trip for 2 to the Emmys. The PDC T-shirt Design Contest and the Brainpower Red Carpet Contest both end at 11:59 PM Pacific Time, Tuesday, August 26th.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Both contests are trade promotions open only to residents of eligible geogrpahies 18+ who are employed as software developers or architects. Contest is not open to the general public.

LA Insights: Exploring the New Hollywood

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:36:24 GMT

The Hollywood neighborhood used to be a seedy and occasionally dangerous backwater, the kind of place where “You better hope you don’t run out of gas,” as Ry Cooder sang in 1979. (Think of where Richard Gere picks up Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman). But in the past 10 years, Hollywood has dramatically transformed into a booming center for L.A. nightlife, where well-turned-out young people gather to eat, drink, dance, and ogle one another. It’s an easy trip from downtown on the red line, and weeknights make for an easier night on the town since lines are shorter.

In an only so-so eating neighborhood, the excellent east-coast style fish restaurant called The Hungry Cat stands way out for its elegant simplicity and warm service. The obsessively well-chosen ingredients, like the sea-fresh oysters, cherrystone clams, and shrimps at the raw bar, and the occasional inspired twists, like the braised clams with chorizo, make this hideaway well worth seeking out (entrees $16-22; entrance from a cul-de-sac midway down Vine in the Sunset+Vine complex, south of Hollywood and Vine stop on the red line). For a more casual dining experience, hike along the star-emblazoned Hollywood Boulevard over to Lucky Devils, a combination scenester hangout and old-fashioned diner, with delicious but pricey burgers, and pecan shakes and homemade lime-aid that have the locals raving. And the beer! Hopheads will revel in the selection of Belgian and Southern California craft brews (dinner $15-25; red line to Hollywood and Highland; walk three blocks west along Hollywood Blvd). And don’t turn up your nose at that Popeye’s fried chicken on the corner of Hollywood and Ivar – it’s not good for you, but it sure tastes good (dinner $5-8; Hollywood and Vine stop, two blocks east along Hollywood).

But enough with the gourmandizing – if you’re in the mood for endangered species, how about a genuinely thriving indie record store? Combining the ambience of a Costco and the spirit of the coolest music person you know, the Hollywood Amoeba Records packs thousands of new and used CDs and DVDs into its many aisles. And they also have free, live performances in-store, so watch the website for details. Or you could head next door to the ArcLight Cinemas – some find amenities like the cafe bar, $14 tickets, and no-latecomers policy pretentious for what is ultimately a movie theater, but on the other hand, conspicuous consumption is part of what the town is all about (Red line to Sunset and Vine; walk 1 ½ blocks to Ivar and head south to Sunset).

As for the lounges, bars, and clubs that exert Hollywood’s greatest pull? Try the Velvet Margarita, the brand-new party emporium called The Kress, or The Room (1626 N Cahuenga Blvd) for the lively energy of single 20-somethings, and Citizen Smith for the appealing jumble of Old West, industrial, and baroque design elements (but not the overpriced food). These three nightspots are walkable from red line Hollywood/Vine stop; for The Kress, walk west along Hollywood; all others, walk 3 ½ blocks west to Cahuenga, and head south – these are all part of the so-called “Cahuenga corridor” of nightspots).

And if you want a taste of the status-conscious exclusivity on which the celebrities and the paparazzi thrive, try to get into the hot club-du-jour called the Green Door – although you’ll need to make advance dinner reservations to avoid getting stuck outside. And be sure tell people that you came in your Bugatti, not on the subway. (One block west of the Cahuenga corridor on Ivar).

Buzz on the Blogsphere

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:35:48 GMT

Noise is elevating with the posting of new sessions on August 1st. Brad Abrams highlights sessions and invites feedback. Taylor Brown wrote about Hyper-V's PDC representation. Daniel Moth wrote about Parallel Computing's Pre-Con on Concurrent, Multi-Core Programming on Windows and .NET. Other blog highlights were made regarding Windows Workflow Foundation and Live Platform sessions. Oslo continues to be highlighted in posts by Chris Sells, Simon Segal, Matt Winkler and David Chappell.

Samuel Jack, a software developer for Paragon Simulation (UK), announced he will be speaking at PDC 2008…at least to whatever stands next to him in the lunch queue! In his clever post he offers his views on some of the "killer content" at this year's PDC: C#, .NET 4.0, Oslo, Cloud Computing, and Windows 7.

Other excitement can be seen in posts by Kurt Shintaku, MS Ireland Blog, Katrien De Graeve, Lynn Langit, Licensing Blog, Stepan Bechynsky, Hongyu Cui, John McClelland, Kenichi Hayashi and Marcel Fernee.

Discount Ends Soon

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:35:20 GMT

The $200 PDC2008 Early Bird discount ends on August 15th. Register now and apply that savings towards a Pre-Conference Session, cool trip to and L.A. ice cream spot and other yet-to-be-revealed Fun Fact Friday adventures.

Countdown to PDC2008: Content be King

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:34:33 GMT

50 new sessions with abstracts announced! Pre-conference workshop popularity soars, Show Off contest launches, microwaves and the e-mail address direct to the content czar’s inner circle revealed. All in 10 minutes or less -Countdown to PDC2008– it’s faster than defrosting last night’s leftovers!

Fun Fact Friday: I Scream. You Scream. We All Scream for Ice Cream!

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:33:58 GMT

Los Angeles is a great ice cream town. While there are no shortage of Cold Stone Creameries here – in fact, there’s a convenient downtown location at 9th St. and Flower, near the Ralph’s grocery store – there are also numerous homemade or “artisanal” ice cream stores. Flavors from around the world, entrepreneurial moxie, and a genuinely artistic flair make these specialty stores well worth a trip on the subway.

Begin with the oldest and perhaps most beloved of these producers. When Mashti Shirvani bought an Irish ice cream parlor called Mugsy Malone in 1980, he only had enough money to change the first name on the sign. While Mashti Malone’s has traditional offerings such as chocolate or coffee, the real draw is the rich but moderately sweet ice cream made with Middle Eastern flavors like rosewater, saffron, and lavender. If you’re skeptical, ask for a free taste of anything in the store – Mashti’s will make you a believer, as they have roughly 200 local restaurants, many food critics, and thousands of customers over the years. (Red line to Hollywood/Highland stop; walk west on Hollywood to La Brea, 2 blocks south to mini-mall on La Brea).

Continue your odyssey over at Helados Pops – where the factory in back whips up refreshing ice creams flavored with Mexican and Central American fruits like the slightly sour tamarindo or the succulent orange melon known as mamey sapote (Red line to Vermont/Santa Monica stop; walk to mini-mall just to south, on east side of Vermont). Right nearby, you’ll also find Scoops (712 N Heliotrope Dr, (323) 906-2649, no official website), run by art school grad Tai Kim. Every day, Kim creates a new set of flamboyant, wondrous flavors: hazelnut-espresso, peppermint tiramisu, brown bread, avocado and banana, even dill and mascarpone! We don’t know of anyone who’s gone away unimpressed – vegans either, since Kim always has some milk-free options on hand. (Red line to Vermont/Santa Monica stop; walk south along Vermont to the southern edge of Los Angeles City College; make a right on Monroe St. for two blocks; make a left on Heliotrope for half a block).

For the classic Italian approach, you can make your way to Pazzo Gelato, where you get rich, handmade flavors like nutty pistachio or chocolate martini (chocolate gelato infused with vodka). The ¾ mile hike from the subway station will help make those calories guilt-free (Red line to Vermont/Santa Monica stop; walk east along Santa Monica past N. Hoover, all the way to Sunset; cafe on the northeast side of the street).

And an L.A. ice cream round-up would be remiss without mentioning Pinkberry. The semi-sweet frozen yogurt, with healthy toppings like berries, kiwi, and mango, is not technically ice cream, but has been an enormous hit in a health-conscious city that loves frozen desserts. Pinkberry has grown from one to 46 Southern California locations since 2005, has begun expanding in New York City, and has since attracted a $27.5 million investment from Starbucks founder Howard Schultz. Find out what the fuss is about at the Koreatown location. (Red line to Wilshire and Vermont; walk half a block north to 6th street, make a left, and walk two blocks to Berendo St.).

We Just Doubled our Published Sessions

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:33:35 GMT

We did a left shift on our published session count today, and we now have twice the geeky goodness for you to consume. You’ll find new sessions on “Oslo,” including one by the ever-popular Don Box and Chris Anderson. There are also new sessions on the Live Platform that cover identity, advanced search, social data, and expert programming techniques by Ori Amiga. Other new sessions focus on parallel development, ASP.NET, SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio, workflow, Hyper-V, Windows Home Server, high-performance computing, IE8, and Silverlight. Whew! And while that may sound like a heaping brainful of Ginkgo biloba power, we have another left shift++ in store between now and PDC2008. Awesome.

Keep Track of your Favorite Sessions

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:33:14 GMT

Help us help you! Today, we added a new feature to the site called My Sessions that makes it easy for you to keep track of your favorite PDC2008 sessions. We’ll use this data to create a master agenda (using some geeky genetic algorithms) that enables you to attend more of your favorites in-person by putting popular sessions in bigger rooms and by proactively scheduling repeats. We’ve also tagged all of the sessions by level and technology to make it easier for you to navigate and filter. Later, when we add specific times and rooms, your sessions will automatically transform into a personal agenda that you can manage. It’s our hope that these new features will help make your PDC2008 attendance as productive as possible…and if you’ve ever wanted to be part of a genetic algorithm, now’s your chance!

Fun Fact Friday: Colorful and Varied Nightspots in Downtown L.A.

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:32:17 GMT

In the bad old days of downtown Los Angeles, there simply wasn’t enough nightlife to keep the area from emptying out once office workers and convention-goers left for the day. Hotels like the Biltmore and the Standard housed memorable bars, but the area didn’t offer many other reasons to venture out. But things have changed -- savvy re-development has led to an abundance of colorful and varied nightspots, perfect for taking the edge off a long day at the conference.

If you don’t want to go much farther than the Convention Center, you could stop in at the outdoor, poolside Veranda Bar at the Hotel Figueroa. It’s a Moroccan-themed, zero-pretension oasis of calm, where the day’s worries and your margarita slip away in roughly equal proportion. Or take a trip up the glass elevators in the 80s-era Westin Bonaventure hotel to the Bona Vista Lounge, which gyrates slowly atop the building. The drinks are overpriced and unremarkable, and the decor dated, but the panoramic nighttime views of the city are unbeatable, beautiful even.

If the gritty rock aesthetic is more your speed, you could head over to The Golden Gopher, once a scary dive that’s been re-invented as a lounge that draws hipsters, business-people, and downtown loft-dwellers alike. Or sample a well-made cocktail and the high-decibel, indie-rock jukebox of the Broadway Bar, which has an elegant 40s interior.

For an even more urbane scene, seek the back-alley entrance to the underground, retro-1920s lounge known as The Edison. (Keep in mind that the dress code here is unusually strict for L.A. – shorts, collarless shirts, and athletic shoes and apparel can all get you shut out of the club). Also worth a visit is Seven Grand, home to over 200 whiskies – the hunting theme is intended with an ironic wink, but the dedication to the art of distillery is not.

If all you want is a friendly place to talk, stop in for a Belgian beer and a sandwich at The Library Bar, so named because of its literary theme and proximity to the public library. You could also head over to the homey Redwood Bar & Grill, which serves excellent microbrews and pub food, in spite of a somewhat random maritime theme. And if you hate pretension above all else, and are just seeking the solitary comforts of a dive, try Hank’s Bar, at 840 S. Grand Ave. They don’t have a website, but the people are nice, and a Bud is only $3.

First Wave of PDC Sponsors Announced

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:32:00 GMT

HP and Developer Express, Inc. are this year's Platinum Sponsors. Microsoft thanks these sponsors for their ongoing support and for making PDC2008 possible. Gold, Silver and Gold Media sponsors have also signed up and can be found here.

Countdown to PDC2008: Open Space Opens the Minds

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:31:42 GMT

Special guest star Jason Olson explains Open Space at PDC2008. The "Birds of a Feather" Sessions of the past were considered too structured and too boring. Enter Open Space, the new (to the tech industry) way to create ad hoc "un"-conferences. Open Space will be located in the track lounges and not shunted to some back corner held in the middle of the night. Topics are driven 100% by attendees. No demos, no podiums, just conversation.

Pre-Conference Session Details Exposed

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:31:17 GMT

Brian Randell, Ajoy Krishnamoorthy and Jaime Rodriguez drill into the solid foundations that the PDC2008 Pre-Conference Sessions provide PDC attendees during a Channel 9 interview with Brian Keller.

C# 4.0: Meet the Design Team

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:29:09 GMT

What's the C# team up to these days? Who's on the C# 4.0 design team, anyway? Charles Torre discovers what Anders et al are working on to get a clear sense of C#'s near (and not-so-near) future during one of their design meetings. In this video you will not get any specific details since the C# team wants to reveal exactly what they've done at PDC 2008. That said, you'll still get a very clear sense of what they've been up to and where they're taking the language.

Turning Ideas Into Reality at PDC with Rick Rashid

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:28:37 GMT

Rick Rashid, Vice President of Microsoft Research, will keynote at PDC2008. Microsoft Research (MSR) is dedicated to conducting both basic and applied research in computer science and software engineering. MSR's goals are to enhance the user experience on computing devices, reduce the cost of writing and maintaining software and invent novel computing technologies. Microsoft Research also collaborates openly with colleges and universities worldwide to broadly advance the field of computer science. Today Microsoft Research has more than 800 researchers, including some of the world’s finest computer scientists, sociologists, psychologists, mathematicians, physicists and engineers, working across more than 55 areas of research. Hear Rick talk about the latest and greatest coming out of MSR in his PDC keynote and get a glimpse at the future!

Sign up now to Exhibit or Sponsor at PDC2008

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:23:32 GMT

Don’t miss out on the opportunity for your company to come out to L.A. in October to connect with top architects and developers at PDC2008. At PDC2008, you’re put right into the action and given the opportunity to reach a targeted audience of 5,000-6,000 architects and developers; increase awareness of your company’s current and future products; generate leads for building a marketing and/or sales database and network with attendees, Microsoft, and other partners. Act now and lock in your exhibitor or sponsorship today. See our Opportunities for more information.

Countdown To PDC2008 : Producing a Ginormous Conference in 10 Minutes or Less

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:20:31 GMT

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Countdown to PDC, where Jennifer Ritzinger, the PDC2008 Event Owner, and Mike Swanson, the PDC2008 Content Owner, share updates and behind-the-scenes stories about what it takes to produce a ginormous conference like the PDC. Join them, along with other members of the PDC team, and see how much information they can pack into each 10-minute-or-less episode. After all, “at the ding, they’re done”…no matter what! Got a great question? Add your feedback to this post, and we’ll try to answer it on a future episode.

Avoid Traffic and Explore Your L.A. Options

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:20:11 GMT

Explore L.A. Metro options for getting around. Avoid traffic by taking the metro to the Sunset Strip. We’ll provide shuttles from the conference hotels to-and-from the L.A. Convention Center, but if you want to get to fun places take a little time to explore the trip planner and get to places like the Santa Monica Pier, Getty Center, the Disney Concert Hall and more!

PDC on the Blogsphere

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:19:42 GMT

The buzz is abounding. First around cloud computing. Worker Thread’s Derek has noticed the interest as has Ubrgeek. Interest in the future of programming languages dominated the conversations by Harry Pierson and Dan Fernandez with the announcement of new sessions covering topics such as: Introduction to F#; Dynamic Language Runtime; Future of VB; VC++ 10 is the new 6; Architecture with VSTS Rosario, Data Modeling for the Cloud, and more. An Information Week article and related blog posts described how impressive the work to build a world-class infrastructure for S+S really is . Top IKVM.NET Jeroen Frijters has announced he’s attending. More topic suggestions are being commented on PDC Content Owner Mike Swanson's blog. Aeroexperience predicts "much of the UI goodness from the early Longhorn prototypes could wind up in Windows 7." A DE in Germany suggests that PDC is a great opportunity to network and Cincinnati .NET Users Group advised members to register early for PDC and take of this huge opportunity to hear about the future of the Microsoft platform.

Bling your blog!

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:19:08 GMT

Grab some art for your blog. Choose the art that fits your style: from the brain in the jar to the Show Off logo bling, to the PDC-in-motion art. Invite people to meet you in L.A. and blog away!

PDC Attendee Tips from the Blogsphere

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:18:48 GMT

Buzz on the Blogsphere (June 30th): Enjoy this humorous detailed post from Zach Bohham giving tips for attending PDC. We've taken the liberty to add a few notes/links to his list:
1. PDC sells out like no other Microsoft event (register now and save $200).
2. Be sure to register for a pre-conference session
3. Taxis are cheaper than renting a car
4. Don't miss the keynote
5. Go early for breakfast
6. Take advantage of MS provided session planning tools (coming online in the next month)
7. Take a laptop - but don't break it out in a session
8. Have fun… it’s a great experience!

New Sessions Published

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:18:09 GMT

Just revealed: the second set of 16 sessions on our monthly countdown to PDC2008! Among them is a presentation by Microsoft Technical Fellow and C# Chief Architect, Anders Hejlsberg, on The Future of C#. You’ll also find additional sessions about cloud computing, from messaging and identity, to modeling your data services, to data synchronization, to the considerations of running services in a multi-tenant environment. Take a deep dive on the Dynamic Language Runtime (DLR), hear about languages like IronPython and the new functional language, F#, learn about Future Directions for Visual Basic, and see why Visual C++ 10 is the New 6. But wait…there’s more! See how the next version of Visual Studio adds even more support for agile development and get a first look at the new UML designers in Visual Studio Team System. Whew!

PDC Lounge Lizards

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:17:31 GMT

PDC2008 is building lots of opportunities to network during the event, but the doors to the LA Convention Center do close nightly. Where will you debrief from the news of Windows 7, Live Mesh, cloud services, Silverlight, and more? Popular places to soak it all in have included the lobby lounge at the Westin-Bonaventure and the rooftop cabanas at The Standard Hotel. Share your favorite debrief spots in LA.

PDC Buzz on Blogsphere

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:16:43 GMT

Mike Swanson's recent post is drawing suggestions for topics to be covered at PDC include: Mesh, language features (C#, VB), Parallel Multi Core Programming, future of WPF, Cardspace and Identity Story, and WiX. Ajoy Krishnamoorthy blogs about Brian Randell’s Pre-Con on VSTS and bloggers David Riddell McGhee, Angus Logan, Jan Erik Ohman and Wictor Wilen are highlighting the importance of PDC for the developer community.

Vetting topics for PDC2008

D. Begley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:15:49 GMT

Mike Swanson shares insights to the challenges and opportunities of selecting the sessions that detail the future of Microsoft's platform in his blog post "PDC2008: A Day in the Life #2."

Bill Gates on what's top of mind for developers

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:58:06 GMT

What's top of mind for Bill that Developers who target our platform should pay attention to now and in the next decade? Bill shares his thoughts during his last Channel 9 interview.

PDC Buzz on the Blogsphere

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:57:21 GMT

PDC is about the future and is the event to attend. Just read what Jon Box says,

"In my opinion, if I was going to choose one technical event to attend in any year, my first choice will always be the PDC. That's where I became aware of DCOM and ASP, before they came out. That was the year when I first saw Don Box. I took that knowledge back to my employer and change the direction of our IT shop - all due to the PDC. So, want to change the game at your company?"

Others would agree. Angus Logan pointed out recently that Andrew Connell showed similar excitement as he blogged his way to the PDC05.

Technical Fellow Brian Harry has announced that the VSTS product team will be talking about what is coming in the Team System release code named "Rosario" and evangelists have flooded the net with posts about Rosario and Brian Randell's pre-con. William H. Salazar posted similar news and joined Brian Keller as they pointed out Brian Randell's Pre-Conference Session, "Get More Out of Visual Studio Team System 2008." There's buzz about Windows7 as well.

The news is out. PDC2008 is happening. The buzz can be found on blogs by Jason Olson and Doug Holland. Jason Olson's announcement about Open Space drew the attention of Open Space originator Harrison Owen and Jack Martin Leith commented, "For those who want evidence that Open Space has moved from the fringes to the mainstream, this must surely be it."

And, two more shameless self-promotion plugs for the Show Off contest came from Brian Keller and Dan Fernandez. Rumor has it they have some great posters and blog bling coming out soon.

Old Hollywood Glamour for Movie Fans at the Biltmore

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:56:05 GMT

After a day filled of PDC networking, open-spacing and taking in the future of Microsoft’s platform, see what LA has to offer. Explore one of the PDC conference hotels, the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel, which hosted eight Academy Award Ceremonies in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Gather with your peers for a PDC debrief in the Gallery Bar and Cognac Room, just named one of the Best Hotel Bars in town by Los Angeles Magazine.

Show Off Your Coolest Stuff at PDC

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:55:09 GMT

Code it, hack it, sculpt it? If it is cool, and involves technology, we want to see it! Show Off has returned to PDC. We want you to inspire others with your unique software, tip, tool, technique, animation, or anything else we can’t think of. All you need to do is create and submit a short, 3-minute-or-less video demonstrating what you want to show off.

Open Space at PDC2008: The "Conference within a Conference"

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:50:50 GMT

Take a look at Jason Olson's blog and you'll see that the PDC team is serious about implementing this unsession format at PDC. Our goal is simple: enable attendees with common interests to have some great conversations in an efficient setting. All you need to do is suggest topics onsite that you wish to discuss and participate in sessions that sound interesting to you.

19 Industry Experts to deliver 10 Pre-Con Sessions

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:48:37 GMT

Brian Randall, Charles Petzold, Daniel Pravat, David Callahan, Doug Boling, Grigori Melnik, Jeff Prosise, Jim Wilson, Joe Duffy, Joe Hellerstein, Jose Blakeley, Juval Lowy, Mario Hewardt, Mark Friedman, Mary Poppendieck, Michael Pizzo, Ron Jacobs, Stephen Toub and Vance Morrison are set to deliver deep training on current technologies that you can apply now.

Serious Play for Women at PDC

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:47:33 GMT

What could be better than a Sunday of creative play before PDC gets started? LEGO and Microsoft have teamed up to offer a Serious Play opportunity for women in technology. Workshop attendees are encouraged to share, discuss and network while playing with purpose. I am going to practice. If only I could find a flat two pronged piece to finish my current project...(shuffling through my LEGO blocks now).

Register now and save $200

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:46:46 GMT

PDC2008 registration is now live. Take advantage of the Early Bird discount and save $200 on your registration. Join us in Los Angeles October 27-30, 2008 and hear details about Microsoft’s services platform, the future of Windows, mobility and our next generation of developer tools. Register

Preliminary Sessions Announced

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:45:55 GMT

We’ve published a preliminary list of representative sessions that only hints at the 160+ sessions we’ll cover at PDC2008. The complete list is available from our agenda / sessions page.

Initial topics include software plus services, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, a deep dive on Silverlight and its graphics pipelines, how we architected and built SQL Server Data Services for scale, building for Live Mesh, the future of our developer tools, and lessons learned by running Team Foundation Server inside Microsoft (where we have over 33 million files!). And we’ll do it all PDC-style: so deeply technical that your brain will hurt. Based on your feedback, we’re including more 400-level, deep technical content this year. We’ll also have hands-on labs where you can work directly with our latest bits. So, take a moment to review the topics, and if you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear from you!

PDC2008 Genetic Session Scheduler

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:44:40 GMT

Check out just how Mike Swanson, the PDC2008 content owner, is planning the 160+ PDC sessions with a unique algorithm.

See his interview on Channel 9.

Ray Ozzie to Keynote PDC2008

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:43:37 GMT

Microsoft Chief Software Architect, Ray Ozzie, will be delivering one of the keynote speeches at this year’s PDC. Some of you might remember that Ray shared a about the future of the Platform at MIX08 back in March. Among other things, he provided a brief glimpse into a comprehensive services offering designed to complement our client and server development platforms. Last month, Live Mesh, the first piece of the services offering emerged at the Web 2.0 conference. We are really looking forward to seeing what Ray has to share at PDC in Los Angeles.

PDC 2008

D. Begley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:39:00 GMT

PDC08 Is Here!
Save the Date!
Announcing PDC2008 October 27–30, 2008
Pre-conference October 26, 2008
Los Angeles, California

OK, OK. We are delighted to announce the date and location of the next Microsoft Professional Developers Conference (PDC): October 27–30, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. PDC is the definitive Microsoft event for software developers and architects focused on the future of the Microsoft platform. Mark your calendars and save the date. More information coming soon. http://msdn.microsoft.com/pdc2008