The US DPE East Media Blog

PDC09: Tour of Azure IT PAC

Jim O'Neil — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:09:00 GMT

One of the highlights of the Big Room floor at PDC 09 was an Azure IT PAC (Pre-assembled container), the unit of deployment within the Azure Data Centers. This particular model is the newest, Generation 4, and built to be deployed outside (versus the indoor models used in the Chicago and San Antonio facilities). The unit on the PDC floor was (of course) a prototype - it's 20 feet long versus the 40-foot standard, and has more glass for viewing than a real unit would have. Regardless, it really made the 'cloud' seem that much more concrete for me!

Connected Show Podcast: Who's Exception is it?

Brian Johnson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:24:00 GMT

In this episode guest Milan Negovan talks about health monitoring in ASP.NET and what to do when things go wrong! (Starts at 24:47). Also Peter and Dmitry talk about Eclipse support for Windows 7, the Azure Content Deliver Network and other news stories. (This episode was recorded live from the Fairfield / Westchester Code Camp)

Zune, Silverlight, and WiMo Game Framwork - WiMoGF

Joe Healy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:50:00 GMT

Kevin Wolf of Tampa, FL has published an innovative Casual Game framework to codeplex named WiMo-GF. WiMo-GF allows a developer to target Zune, Silverlight, and Windows Mobile 5.0 to 6.5 with a single codebase. The framework encapsulates multitouch, accelerometer, and ships with its own physics engine. During this video we'll talk to Kevin about his framework, and how to build games with it.

Interview: QuickSoft and SocketLabs on PDC

Brian Johnson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:28:00 GMT

In this video, Dani interviews Bill Volz and John Alessi of QuikSoft and SocketLabs. Bill and John discuss how their company got started and the influence that the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference has had in their success both directly and indirectly. They talk about their development process and how new product ideas go from dream to reality.

SQL Saturday 21 - Orlando - October 2009

Joe Healy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:34:00 GMT

SQL Saturday #21 Orlando - Interview by Joe Healy with SQL Saturday founder Andy Warren. Over 230 folks attended the SQL Saturday event in Orlando on October 17, 2009. We look at the photos and talk to Andy about the SQL Saturday series.

Connected Show Podcast: User Experience: It ain’t Lipstick baby

Brian Johnson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:08:00 GMT

In this episode guest co-host and Interviewee Dave Crawford of Microsoft UK joins Dmitry to discuss News such as Windows 7, Windows Stores, ZuneHD development, Java Bridge, Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 and many more stories. Finally Dave tells us all about the User Experience project role, how development projects can benefit from it and how Developers and Designers need to play nice together.

Northeast Roadshow: .NET Chips - Tidbits from the CLR and C#

Jim O'Neil — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:35:00 GMT

This installment of the Northeast Roadshow screencast series covers a number of core concepts in the CLR. Beginning with a discussion of the differences and nuances between reference and value types, the topics quickly move into concepts such as boxing, immutability, performance of String versus StringBuilder, constants versus readonly variables, and others. These are concepts every .NET developer should be familiar with to build effective code.

SouthWest Florida CodeCamp Review - 2009-Oct-03

Joe Healy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:38:00 GMT

Saturday, October 3, 2009, the 2nd Code Camp was held in Southwest Florida (Naples/Ft Myers). Here Joe Healy interviews codecamp organizer John Dunagan. Also inside are pictures, videos, and more from the event. Over 140 people attended the only codecamp in the national with an airboat as its logo. Drop in and see what they were excited about...

Northeast Roadshow: Taskbar Deep-dive

Jim O'Neil — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:49:00 GMT

In this episode, Developer Evangelist Jim O'Neil, walks through a example of updating a legacy MDI application to take advantage of most of the features of the Windows 7 taskbar all the while maintaining backwards compatibility to Vista and XP. You'll get a detailed look into using the managed code Windows API Code Pack to adapt your older applications to leverage jumplists, thumbnail previews, and thumbnail buttons.

Slides and source code for this session can be found at the Northeast corner of Code Gallery.

Connected Show Podcast: Claudio Caldato on PHP & ADO.NET Data Services

Brian Johnson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:38:00 GMT

In this episode of the Connected Show, guest Claudio Caldato joins Peter to discuss interoperability at Microsoft and how his team is working to make Windows Azure cloud services more accessible to PHP developers. Claudio provides us details on the PHP Toolkit for ADO.NET Data Services.

Guest host G. Andrew Duthie joins Peter to discuss Office Starter 2010, the wonders of VHDs, Red Hat & Microsoft interoperability, the ASP.NET MVC Firestarter, and “Are we really smarter than you?”

An Impromptu Look at Windows 7 Multitouch Capabilities

Joe Healy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:46:00 GMT

This is an impromptu look at Windows 7 Touch Capabilities. During the Lauderdale MSDN Roadshow (aka .NET Tiki Hut) we needed a way to showcase the HP TouchSmart to a large crowd. But the TouchSmart had to VGA out. So we shot an 'over the shoulder video'. Professional video it is not, but it gives you a good look at what the HP Multitouch can do with the TouchPack and a few other applications. Basically is "win7 multitouch done ugly".

Connected Show Podcast: Please Pass the Duct Tape

Brian Johnson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:54:00 GMT

In the latest episode of the Connected Show, guest Joe Stagner joins Peter to discuss the future of ASP.NET, what it means to be the Misfit Geek at Microsoft, what Plan 9 means for web developers and some comparisons to PHP.

Dmitry and Peter also discuss the news with Windows Azure management, Courier tablet rumors, the new WebsiteSpark program, and duct tape programming.

You can subscribe to the Connected Show through Zune or through iTunes.

Related Resources:

Connected Show Podcast: Paul Thurrott on Windows Server 2008 R2

Brian Johnson — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:26:00 GMT

In this episode, guest Paul Thurrott joins Peter and Dmitry to discuss Windows Server 2008 R2 and Virtualization. They also discuss the news about Codeplex.org, a new open source software foundation created by Microsoft!

For links to other episodes of the show, visit the Connected Show home.

Connected Show Podcast: Jon Skeet on C# 4.0

Brian Johnson — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:15:00 GMT

In this episode, guest Jon Skeet joins Peter to discuss C# 4 in Depth. Jon takes us deep into the guts of C# 4, including how the new dynamic features work. Guest host Glen Gordon joins Peter to discuss the Windows 7 API Code Pack, LINQ to Bing!, Unit Testing, and .NET Denial of Sleep attacks! Has .NET gotten TOO complex?

You can find more Connected Show Podcast episodes, and you can subscribe to the show's feed here.

Northeast Roadshow - Data Quest

Jim O'Neil — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:10:00 GMT

Microsoft is all about options, and there's no shortage of options when it comes to data access! You've got ADO.NET DataSets and DataReaders, LINQ to SQL, Entity Framework, ADO.NET Data Services just to name a few. Each of these technologies can be used - and abused - depending on the context, so this session is geared toward providing guidance on when and how to use (or not) the various options available to you.

You can find the slides and code samples for this session at the Northeast Roadshow Code Gallery.

Northeast Roadshow - Light Up Your Apps With Windows 7

Jim O'Neil — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:06:00 GMT

Jim O'Neil concludes his three part series on Windows 7 for Developers with an overview of the new APIs that allows applications to take advantage of cool new features like libraries, jump lists and thumbnails on the taskbar, multi-touch, sensors, the Windows Ribbon, and native Web Service capabilities.

You can find the slides for this session at the Northeast Roadshow Code Gallery.

Northeast Roadshow - Windows 7 Developer Productivity

Jim O'Neil — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:52:00 GMT

Jim O'Neil continues his three part series on Windows 7 for Developers by looking at a variety of features to enhance end-user and developer productivity. He shows how new features such as the window manager's "snap, shake, and peek", libraries, jumplists, federated search, DirectAccess, and HomeGroup make developing applications on Windows 7 easier, quicker, and more fun than ever!

You can find the slides for this session at the Northeast Roadshow Code Gallery.

Northeast Roadshow - Windows 7 Application Compatibility

Jim O'Neil — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:46:00 GMT

In this first of a three part series on Windows 7 for Developers, Jim O'Neil discusses the guidance and tools available for smoothly migrating applications from Windows XP and Vista to Windows 7. Included in the discussion is the Windows 7 Application Quality Cookbook, Application Compatibility Toolkit, and the incredibly nifty Windows XP Mode.

You can find the slides for this session at the Northeast Roadshow Code Gallery.

DevNugget - Debugging Tips and Tricks Part 5

Brian Johnson — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:01:00 GMT

In the fifth and final debugging screencast by Brian Hitney, we'll look at how to use the set next statement while debugging. We'll also look at setting up the .NET Reference Source Code for stepping through the .NET BCLs, followed by some exception handling tips. Finally, we'll take a look at using Mole (a VS visualizer) to further enhance the debugging experience.

MSDN .NET Tiki News Florida Podcast - 2009 June 8

Brian Johnson — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:51:00 GMT

All the .NET news for Florida in one easy podcast. Jeff Barnes and Joe Healy bring you the upcoming .NET events and news from June 8 onward for Florida only. Slides are also integrated into the video to keep you entertained if you want to watch it online. Carpe diem and tight lines. Special BING ringtone medley at the end.

Northeast Roadshow – XNA Game Development

Brian Johnson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:55:00 GMT

Let’s talk games! In this screencast, Chris Bowen (http://blogs.msdn.com/cbowen) tours the world of XNA, from the components of the XNA Framework, the XNA Creators Club Online, and resources for learning to create games. The bulk of the screencast focuses using XNA Game Studio, which can create games for Windows, XBOX 360, and Zune, to create a simple 2D game from scratch. Of course, it isn’t a fancy game (in the least), but you’ll soon have a working understanding of XNA. It’s up to you to take it from there to create the next smash hit!

Slides and code from the session are available on the Northeast Roadshow Code Gallery.

Small and Mighty - Community Talk with Steve Andrews

Brian Johnson — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:00:00 GMT

In this episode of Community Talk, Danilo Diaz interviews Steve Andrews. Steve is a TFS MVP and INETA board member. Steve is what you might call a community fanatic. His New Year's resolution was to speak at 52 events in 2009. Dani talks to Steve about about his passion for community and some of the projects is currently involved with.

Small and Mighty - Community Talk with Miguel Castro

Brian Johnson — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:59:00 GMT

In this episode of Community Talk, Microsoft Developer Evangelist Danilo Diaz interviews Miguel Castro. Miguel is an ASP.Net MVP and an architect with IDesign. Miguel is a frequent speaker at Philly .Net events and is known to rock the house from time to time. He has a passion for technology which is evident every time he presents.

DevNugget - Debugging Tips and Tricks Part 4

Brian Johnson — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:48:00 GMT

This is another DevNugget screencast from Brian Hitney.

In the previous screencasts, we looked at setting breakpoints and how to work with advanced breakpoints, filters, and working with multiple threads. We also took a quick look at tracepoints. In part 4, we'll look at the watch windows, the immediate window, and Make Object ID command.

Northeast Roadshow - Top Things Developers Should Know About SQL Server - Execution Plans

Brian Johnson — Sat, 23 May 2009 16:08:00 GMT

Jim O’Neil, Developer Evangelist, closes out his five part series covering topics on SQL Server for developers with an overview of execution plan generation. Using SQL Server Management Studio it’s easy (and fun) to watch how queries are optimized and thereby get a better insight into application performance. The session covers how to read a query plan and offer some general guidelines on what characterizes an efficient query versus an inefficient one.