Well, I heard officially today that Microsoft is targeting October 22, 2009 for General Availability of Windows 7 for retail sales. A couple notes:

• RTM release will be as early as the second half of July (less than 1 month away!)
• Date is not set in stone, but is an indication that Microsoft believes they are on track
• Microsoft will soon release details of retail upgrade program (so you can buy the computer now instead of wating)

Personally, I have been running the previous versions of Windows 7, and aside from some architectural questions (meaning, the OS seems stable, it's the configuration that bothers me), it's a GREAT OS. I've had literally no compatability issues and it "seems" to run smoother and faster (though I've done no official benchmarking to speak of).

 

For anyone interested, Microsoft has released VS 2010 Beta 1 for Public download.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/dd582936.aspx

 

Microsoft, looking to demonstrate the abilities of their Azure Platform Services, has launched a developer contest. It will have two categories of focus, being .NET application and PHP applications. Winners will be selected by a judgment panel and can win a 5,000 VISA gift card. There is also promised "fame", which many people may find more enticing. These include www.Azure.com features, an Interview on Channel 9, and more.

new CloudApp() - The Azure™ Services Platform Developer Challenge

 

Hello Everyone!

VSLive! Las Vegas is coming up soon, and I thought I would drop a quick note about it. For anyone interested in attending, this is often one of the most interesting conference series in regards to Microsoft Technologies. Put simply, the reason I love them is that they tend to be a lot more informative and a lot less marketing. Get in there, and learn the good, the bad, and the ugly (to steal from the famous movie starring toughman, Clint Eastwood).

Also, I got my hands on a discount code: S9V18

Supposedly, this code will give you $400 off the passport level conference fee. If you are interested in attending, please feel free to use it!

For more information or to register: http://vslive.com/2009/lasvegas/ 

Hope to see everyone there!

 

Windows Azure, The BASIC High Level Overview:
 

For anyone who is interested, the 6th Twin Cities Code Camp is happening this weekend @ the University of Minnesota. These are extremely well organized events and if development is your thing, I highly recommend attendance.

There is no fee to attend and last I heard, registration is still open. For more information or to register, please visit http://www.twincitiescodecamp.com.

 

 

A little while back my company and I did an interview with Channel Partner Magazine. The article is about my company's purchase of another consulting firm here. Basically, it's discussing the advantages to the down economy and how to increase marketshare during down times. My role in the interview wasn't very prominent, but still it's interesting to see your name in print! :)

If you're interested, you can find the article at: http://rcpmag.com/features/article.aspx?editorialsid=2650

 

Just a note to everyone that VSLive is coming in June. I will be giving a presentation on Windows Azure while I am there. I invite anyone who can to make it. These are always a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to keep up to date with the latest and greatest in the development community.

Below is some information I was provided by VSLive:

VSLive! was created by developers with deep coverage of existing and new technologies that you can use on the job today. And now you can save up to $200 when you register before April 29, 2009 with promo code NX9V2C!

Register Now!

http://www.1105info.com/t.do?id=2330358:15594811

In addition to the savings, we're offering a $50 Venetian Gaming Credit* for the first 200 registered attendees and rooms from only $99/night at the Venetian Hotel and Casino... You won't want to miss this opportunity to dive in to the real-world technical content - register today!

Check out the full agenda online at http://vslive.com/2009/lasvegas  and we'll see you in Las Vegas!

Happy Programming Everyone!

-- Jerry

 

Internet Explorer 8 was released to the web officially today.

To download:

https://partner.microsoft.com/us/40074178

Have fun!

 

Hey all,

I thought I would put a quick little message out here for anyone developing for Windnows Azure. There’s a “must have” update available now for both the Azure SDK and Visual Studio tools. There are some cool new features as well as some fixes.

You can download them here:

http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=128752

What’s new in Windows Azure SDK

• Support for developing Managed Full Trust applications. It also provides support for Native Code via PInvokes and spawning native processes.
• Support for developing FastCGI applications, including support for rewrite rules via URL Rewrite Module.
• Improved support for the integration of development storage with Visual Studio, including enhanced performance and support for SQL Server (only local instance).

What’s new in Windows Azure Tools for Microsoft Visual Studio

• Combined installer includes the Windows Azure SDK
• Addressed top customer bugs
• Native Code Debugging
• Update Notification of future releases
• FastCGI template