From the Editor

Volume 13, Number 3: February 2, 2009

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity, and the best way to take advantage of one is to be prepared. Many of my friends who are interviewing for developer / programming positions tell me the interview process is fairly rigorous. Luckily, most of the layoffs have not affected software development to the same degree as other jobs. So there is no better time to get up to speed on the latest tools and technologies and get you back in the driver's seat with your career.

Your Second Chance If You Missed the PDC

There is a second chance for those of you who missed the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) last October. The PDC was a great place to learn about the future of Microsoft technology. Big announcements were made and great presentations were provided. Well, if you have only one day in your schedule, let me suggest the MSDN Developer Conference in San Francisco on February 23. You can think of this one-day event as the best of PDC - kind of a mini re-PDC.

An added bonus at MDC is the really cool "WomenBuild" workshop (you don't have to be a woman to join the fun) that draws on the power of creative thinking to shift group conversation from talking heads to focused minds. In this workshop, attendees participate in an environment of rich, interactive experiences by modeling real-life business challenges and solutions with LEGO® Bricks as part of the LEGO® Serious Play Program (LSP). WomenBuild will open your mind to exciting and inspirational ideas on how to be a thought leader in your technical field.

Times Are Tough: 2-for-1 Bonus

Also during the week of February 23, you can attend VSLive! in San Francisco, from February 23 to 27. At VSLive! you can choose from over 80 in-depth technical sessions and seven workshops. We are offering a two-for-one bonus: Register by February 4 and get a second registration free. That means you can register yourself and get a client, friend or colleague into VSLive! San Francisco at no extra cost. Register by February 4, and you can attend the MSDN Developer Conference for free and take advantage of this two-for-one offer. Be sure to use priority code NX9F88 to secure your two-for-one registration. That's five days of exploration into the next generation of Microsoft developer technologies, along with technical content and advice you can build on right away.

If you have just one day available, check out The Best of PDC with the MSDN Developer Conference. This one-day event packs a huge amount of amazing information. Here is a brief rundown:

• A Lap Around Windows Azure and the Azure Services Platform

• Live Framework and Mesh Services

• Developing Applications Using Microsoft SQL Data Services

• ASP.NET and JQuery

• Windows Presentation Foundation

• Building Business-Focused Applications Using Silverlight 2

• ASP.NET 4.0 Roadmap

• The Future of Managed Languages: C# and Visual Basic

• A Lap Around "Oslo"

• A Lap Around VSTS 2010

• An Introduction to Microsoft F#

MDC Is an Opportunity

Remember what I said in the beginning - nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity. Register now.

Additional Matters

Are you a startup? BizSpark is your friend. Some of you may recall the launch of BizSpark we announced in one of my newsletters back in November 2008. BizSpark is a program for early stage startups whereby companies can get software through MSDN subscriptions at no upfront cost. BizSpark is now picking up quite a bit of steam with thousands of companies now enrolled in to the program. Send my colleague Anand Iyer an e-mail to get a code to join BizSpark today.

Thanks for reading,
Bruno

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