MSDN Flash - Volume 13, Number 23: November 9, 2009
Volume 13, Number 23: November 9, 2009
Top News
Get Started Developing on SharePoint 2010
The SharePoint 2010 (Beta) Developer Center is now live with a host of new training modules. You’ll also find documentation on the Microsoft SharePoint 2010 SDK, the SharePoint Professional Developer Evaluation Guide, and access to SharePoint 2010 community pages.
Download Spec Explorer for Visual Studio
Spec Explorer is a model-based testing tool that runs as an add-in to Visual Studio for modeling software behavior and analyzing that behavior by graphical visualization, model checking, and generating standalone test code from models.
Student News
New Students-to-Business Webcast Coming Soon - Internet Portals and Communication Skills
Join us for the next installment in the Microsoft Students to Business Fall webcast series. Each installment provides both technical and soft skills training on specific topics. Our next installment will focus on using SharePoint portals both in the classroom and on the Web, as well as learning some effective communication skills.
Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 Has Arrived
Great news! Microsoft has publicly released Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2. Learn about all of the new features and download your copy today.
Government Resources
Microsoft U.S. Public Sector Virtual Launch Event (VLE)
November 10, 2009
Join Microsoft U.S. Public Sector Vice President Curt Kolcun and top technology leaders at "The New Efficiency" virtual launch event for government. Learn how cost savings and productivity come together with a new wave of Microsoft products. Be one of the first to evaluate exciting innovations in Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010.
November 11, Reston, VA
Join Marc Schweigert from the Microsoft Public Sector DPE team for a developer-focused walkthrough over dinner, jam-packed with demos showcasing SharePoint 2010 combined with Visual Studio 2010 as a familiar and approachable platform for ASP.NET developers to build custom solutions faster by leveraging all that SharePoint 2010 has “in-the-box.”
Random Hacks of Kindness – Codejam
November 12 - 14, 2009, Mountain View, CA
This Codejam sponsored by Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, and the World Bank is the first in a series of Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) events that will bring the best and brightest together for a "give camp" to solve real world-problems related to crisis and disaster relief using technology.
Microsoft Developer Conference
December 10, Sacramento, CA
Join us for a full day of developer-oriented technical sessions on Microsoft Visual Studio Team System, .NET Services Service Bus, Silverlight 3 and Internet Explorer 8. There is no fee to attend.
In this thought leadership white paper, the Center for Digital Government has identified a spectrum of approaches for implementing cloud computing, each of which reflects the unique needs and constraints different organizations may encounter. Cloud computing models can work in the public sector if done right, but there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Synteractive and Microsoft joined Smartronix and the Recovery and Accountability Board to showcase the recently updated Recovery.gov site, a public-facing Web portal that allows citizens and communities to track stimulus funding in unprecedented and locally-focused ways. The Recovery.gov project represents the largest SharePoint implementation in the world, designed to support 10 million users per hour and up to 1 million concurrent users at any given time.
Granicus Helps Boost Accountability with Software-plus-Services Solution
The Internet is a powerful tool for government agencies that wish to provide timely, accurate information to constituents. However, constraints such as costs, limited resources for IT administration, and connectivity issues sometimes hamper the ability of public organizations to use the Web to its fullest potential. Granicus, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, tackled the problem by creating a suite of solutions using a software-plus-services approach based on Microsoft technologies. The resulting products provide government agencies with the speed and flexibility of locally installed software and the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of hosted solutions.
Fritz Institute: Nonprofit Agencies Respond Faster to Emergencies, Coordinate Activities
From the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami came the idea for a software solution that would speed relief efforts at the local, regional, or global levels. The Fritz Institute, working with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner IrisLogic/BlueStar, chose the Microsoft .NET Framework, over Java and Linux, for HELIOS, which standardizes and largely automates the processes of supply-chain management for nonprofit relief efforts. HELIOS scales from a laptop in the field to servers managing a global operation. Successful pilots at Oxfam show the solution can cut the time and cost of paperwork in half, giving aid workers more time to work directly with local populations delivering life-saving assistance faster. The solution enables interagency coordination and increased agency accountability to the public and the donors from multilateral and bilateral agencies.
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November 24, 2009, 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time
Learn about important communication tools in Microsoft Office Project that help you generate reports in a format your various stakeholders want to see.
Windows 7 New Features for Managed Code Developers Series
This on-demand series presents examples of how developers who write in managed code (Visual Basic and C#) can take advantage of some of the new features of Windows 7. The series includes: an introductory overview of new features, overview of the Windows API Code Pack, and individual sessions that include a demonstration of the new features in Windows 7.
Walkthroughs on SharePoint Development in Visual Studio 2010
Visual Studio promotes rapid SharePoint development by providing such features as advanced debugging tools, IntelliSense, statement completion, and project templates.
New: One-Stop Resource for Windows Azure
See all the benefits you gain by deploying your apps to the cloud. Get all the training you need to get your application in the Windows Azure Platform.
MSDN Webcast: BenkoTips Live and On Demand: Windows 7 Taskbars and Ribbon (Level 200)
November 11, 2009, 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time
In this webcast, we provide the foundational knowledge you need to make your applications shine when running on Windows 7.
Put Windows 7 to Work in Specialized Devices
Windows Embedded products deliver the power of Windows 7 fitted to the needs of device manufacturers. Learn how you can put Windows 7 performance and features to work in specialized devices. Watch our series of webinars, now available on demand for your convenience.
Featured Downloads
Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Application Quality Cookbook
Find guidance on how to verify the compatibility of your applications with the new operating systems, and get an overview of the few known application compatibility issues. The cookbook also points out differences in performance, reliability, and usability.
Training and Books
Free Downloadable E-book Offer: Introducing Microsoft Silverlight 2
Free Downloadable E-book Offer: Introducing SQL Server 2008
Partner News
Add Excel Compatible Spreadsheets, Charting and Calculations with SpreadsheetGear
Enhance your user experience with Excel reporting, dashboards, Windows Forms controls, charting, calculations, and more. Download the SpreadsheetGear 2009 free trial.
MSI White Paper: Fixing Design-Time Validation Errors
This white paper discusses different types of validation, including build warnings and errors, internal consistency evaluator (ICE) validation, and update and patch validation. Free download.
Free ASP.NET MVC Poster: the Request Handling Pipeline
Get your complimentary poster and learn more about ANTS Performance Profiler.
Intel Parallel Studio: Tip 1 - Find Memory Errors Faster
Use Intel Parallel Studio to locate memory errors before they happen. Once found, it’s easy to edit and rebuild. Free trial.
Integrate Outlook and Team System - Use TeamCompanion
Download new TeamCompanion for Outlook 2.2, use it 90 days for free and enjoy 10% discount for single user license.
Free White Paper - Fight Back Against Piracy
Free white paper about different code protection methods on the market and how effective they are against piracy.
Win US$10,000 by Coding with Fewer Lines
Visual WebGui invites you to write an application and compete for the US$10,000 prize. Enter the Code Challenge now.
Web Resources
ITNAmerica Software-plus-Services Video/Case Study
Non-profit enterprise expands transportation for seniors with software + services solution.
Overview of Communication Patterns Supported by the .NET Service Bus (Level 200)
During this webcast, we explore what the Service Bus does and how it works. We also examine the connectivity challenges addressed by the Service Bus and the different communication patterns made possible by the Service Bus.
BenkoTips Live and on Demand: Practical MVC with Jessy Houle (Level 200)
In this webcast, we take a bare-bones approach to dissecting patterns and using the patterns to your advantage.
geekSpeak: Refactoring Tips and Tricks with Llewellyn Falco (Level 200)
Join us to learn how to build service-oriented architecture (SOA)-style services whose contracts are both defined and implemented with workflow activities and how to host, manage, and execute the services.
UAC Data Redirection: .NET Framework
After completing this lab, you will be better able to troubleshoot a file redirection issue and use Process Monitor to find the root cause of the issue.
After completing this lab, you will be better able to create a new library, open an existing library, add and remove folders from a library, and more.
After completing this lab, you will be better able to provide visual progress and status indicators using taskbar progress bars and overlay icons.
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Change Data Capture (Level 100)
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Data Compression (Level 100)
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Database Mirroring (Level 100)
geekSpeak: Windows Workflow Services and the .NET Framework 4.0
BenkoTips Live and on Demand: Practical LINQ to SQL
Building RESTful Services with WCF