Tag: Microsoft

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Halifax Coffee and Code / Windows 7 Mini-Installfest Today

This article also appears in Canadian Developer Connection.

just_us_barrington_thumbToday, as part of our EnergizeIT cross-Canada tour, Christian Beauclair, Rick Claus and Pierre Roman are heading out to Halifax. As part of their visit, they’ll be hosting a Coffee and Code event today from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Just Us Cafe at 1678 Barrington Street.

Coffee and Code is your chance to have a nice up-close-and-personal get-together with people from Microsoft, ask questions, let us know what you think and get to know us better. As an added bonus, it’s your chance to install the Windows 7 beta on your laptop: Christian, Rick and Pierre will be bringing installer discs and helping people get the new operating system (which we’ve been using on our production machines since January) installed.

For more details about today’s Coffee and Code and mini-installfest, see this earlier article.

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The “FTW!” Ultimate PHP App Throwdown

For the Win! For the Web! FTW: Ultimate App Throwdown -- Professionals vs. Students

This article also appears in Canadian Developer Connection.

Wait a Minute…Microsoft and PHP?

You probably wouldn’t be surprised that Microsoft is holding a development contest that pits professional developers against student developers. You might be surprised that Microsoft is holding a development contest where the challenge is to build a PHP application.

You read that right: PHP. Microsoft’s web server, IIS (Internet Information Services) can run PHP as well as ASP.NET; in fact, it can even run both on the same site at the same time, so you can have apps like WordPress along with your ASP.NET-based apps.

Think of ASP.NET and PHP running on the same server as the great jam session with Spock and the space hippie from that old Star Trek “hippies in space” episode.

Spock and a space hippie, jamming on their instrumentsSee? We’re not Herbert!

Even more unexpected is that the beta for the 2.0 version of the Microsoft Web Platform Installer doesn’t do a “couple-of-clicks” installation of the expected stuff like IIS and SQL Server 2008 Express, it also provides a “couple-of-clicks” installation of PHP and WordPress.

The FTW! Throwdown

"Goopymart" comic of a dog holding a trophy: "FTW!"

That’s “FTW!” as in “For the Win” or “For the Web”, by the way.

The contest is pretty simple: the idea is to show the best application written in PHP and deployed on Windows. The app can be either:

  • A new application developed by you in PHP and running on IIS in Windows
  • An existing application or framework written in PHP and ported by you to run on IIS in Windows

That’s right: if you’re pressed for ideas or time to make a new application, it’s all right – you can take a PHP application that already exists, make the necessary changes so that it’ll run on IIS (and hey, for bonus points, make it tie into SQL Server instead of MySQL), and submit that as your contest entry!

Students vs. Professionals

Another twist to the FTW! Throwdown is that we’re getting student developers and professional developers to challenge each other. The pros have experience and resources on their side; students have youthful energy and fewer distractions going for them. Not since “Pirates vs. Ninjas” has there been a challenge like this!

One application developed or ported by students and one application developed or ported by professionals will be chosen from the submissions for the Ultimate Challenge, which will be a final bout at Microsoft’s Make Web, Not War conference. In that last match, it “Two apps enter! One app leaves!”. Simply put, one of the apps – either the student one or the professional one – will be declared the Ultimate Champion.

As they said in Highlander: “There can be…only one!”

The Booty

Stuffed animal prizes at a carnival

We want to reward the best contestants for their efforts in the FTW! Throwdown, and we plan to do so with some pretty nice prizes, which include:

  • The grand prize: $5000 for the winning entrant.
  • The runner-up prize: $3000 for the runner-up.
  • The SQL Server prize: $3000 for the finalist whose app showcases the best use of PHP with a Microsoft SQL Server database.
  • The PHP/.NET Mash-Up prize: $2000 for the finalist whose app showcases the best of PHP with .NET-based code working together in a single application.
  • The student finalist prize: The student developer who makes it to the last match will also get an interview and resume critique from Microsoft and a $200 Petro-Canada gas card.
  • The professional finalist prize: The professional developer who makes it to the last match will also get a chance for a published case study, enrollment in the MAPS or EMPOWER program and a $200 Petro-Canada gas card.

Hosting Options

Naturally, the apps that you submit for the FTW! Throwdown need a place to live. If you don’t already have IIS hosting, our partners at myhosting and RackForce are offering a 60-day free hosting promotion.

Deadlines and Details

The deadline for entering the FTW! Throwdown is Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009. Finalists will be announced on Friday, June 5th, 2009, and the main event where the student finalist faces off against the professional finalist happens on Wednesday June 10th, 2009.

If you’d like to know more about the FTW! Throwdown, visit the FTW! Throwdown site. I’ll be posting regular bulletins about the FTW! Throwdown on this blog, and you can follow the FTW! team on Twitter as the user @PHPOnWindows and the hashtag #FTW09.

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Halifax Coffee and Code/Windows 7 Mini-Installfest: Monday, April 20th

Coffee and Code is Coming to Halifax!

just_us_barrington

As part of Microsoft’s EnergizeIT cross-Canada tour, we’re holding a Coffee and Code event in Halifax at the Just Us Cafe at 1678 Barrington Street on Monday, April 20th from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m..

Hosting the event will be Developer Advisor Christian Beauclair and IT Pro Advisors Pierre Roman and gool ol’ east coast boy Rick Claus. Whether you’re a developer, IT pro or tech enthusiast, they’ll be happy to chat with you, answer your questions, take your comments, and if you bring your laptop, they’ll even hook you up with a copy of the Windows 7 beta and help you install it.

Windows 7 Mini-Installfest

We’ve been holding Windows 7 Installfests in some pretty large venues across the country, but there’s no reason we can’t hold one at a Coffee and Code event. If you decide that you want to bring your laptop to the Halifax Coffee and Code, please do the following prep to ensure you get the best experience:

  • Note that the version of Windows 7 we’re giving out is the Windows 7 Beta, Build 7000. That’s the version that was made available for download in January, and it’s the version that all of us on the Developer and Platform Evangelism Team have been using as our main operating system since then. It’ll work until August 1, 2009.
  • Ensure that your laptop’s BIOS is at the latest revision and ACPI compliant. If it’s not the latest version, go to your laptop manufacturer’s website to download the latest BIOS installer and run it to upgrade your system.
  • You have two options when installing Windows 7: a clean install or upgrade.
  • If you’re doing an upgrade, the amount of data in your profile will greatly affect the length of your upgrade. We’ve seen an upgrade on a system that took over 2 and a half hours. Our advice: clean up your system before you show up. Delete temporary internet files, back up and move off your 10,000 song library – do whatever you can do to reduce the number of files on your system. If you don’t, your upgrade process could take more time then we have scheduled for the InstallFest.
  • That being said, we STRONGLY suggest you go for a clean install or dual boot. The majority of previous InstallFest participants went this route. It’s the fastest, cleanest, simplest way to do it.
  • Bring all the needed drivers for your system on a USB key. Check out your manufacturer’s site for Beta Windows 7 drivers; failing that, bring 32- or 64-bit Vista drivers. They may not be required; this is a precaution just in case Windows 7’s built-in drivers don’t work for your system.

      And most importantly, remember that this event is about sharing, connecting with each other and having fun! We hope to see you there!

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      Last Night at EnergizeIT Toronto

      EnergizeIT: Anything is PossibleLast night, EnergizeIT – that’s the cross-Canada tour where we talk to developers, IT Pros, students and faculty about Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Software+Services, cloud computing, architecture and a whole raft of other things that are coming soon from Microsoft – hit downtown Toronto with the “Future of the Platform” presentation aimed at IT Pros and systems administration types. IT Pro Evangelist Rick Claus flew in to do the heavy lifitng by presenting solo; I was there for support and to answer developer-specific questions.

      Ballet School, on Maitland Street in Toronto

      In Canada, the phrase “I’m going to the ballet” tonight is sometimes used as a euphemism for “I’m going to the strip club”. So it was with great amusement when we found out that the venue for the presentation was Canada’s National Ballet School. I’m pretty sure I said “Well, I’m off to the ballet!” a dozen times before making my way to EnergizeIT.

      Ballet school main hall interior

      The presentation went quite well, with many people asking all sorts of questions about the new features in both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. As with all the other EnergizeIT shows I have attended, many attendees either couldn’t wait to get their hands on the Windows 7 beta DVDs we were handing out or couldn’t stop singing its praises.

      I’ll close with this shot of Rick, whom I caught in a perfect moment – it looks like he’s doing the “Head Crusher” routine from The Kids in the Hall:

      Rick Claus doing his presentation: "I'm crushing your head!"

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      My Interview at MeshU

      No tech workshop is complete without a little goofing around on an accordion, and I certainly didn’t want the MeshU day of workshops (which preceded the Mesh Conference) to be incomplete. I did a quick interview with Anita Kuno in which I performed a classic computer programmer song parody and promoted The Empire, which you can see in the video below:

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      The 2009 Lang.NET Symposium / 2009 DSL DevCon

      I know it’s incredibly short notice, but I just found about these myself. If:

      • the design and implementation of programming languages, virtual machines and compilers, multi-language libraries and IDEs is your cup of tea, and…
      • you’re going to be in or near Redmond this week

      …then you might want to check out these conferences:

      Lang.NET Symposium

      First, there’s the 2009 Lang.NET Symposium, which takes place in building 99, Room 1919 of the Microsoft Corporate Headquarters from Tuesday, April 14th through Thursday, April 16th. There is no charge to register – that’s right, this is a “free as in beer” event. Who says The Empire isn’t generous?

      Here’s a quick description of the event:

      Overview

      Lang .NET 2009 Symposium is a forum for discussion on programming languages, managed execution environments, compilers, multi-language libraries, and integrated development environments.

      This conference provides an excellent opportunity for Programming Language Implementers and Researchers from both industry and academia to meet and share their knowledge, experience, and suggestions for future research and development in the area of programming languages.

      Why Attend

      If you are a language designer, compiler writer, or tool builder in industry or academia, Lang.NET 2009 is a unique opportunity to directly interact with the architects of Microsoft language platforms.

      Microsoft language technologists will be very active participants in the conference while at least 50% of the program is reserved for presentations by non-Microsoft employees.

      The Lang.NET Symposium will be followed immediately by…

      Fill Your Head: DSL DevCon, April 16 - 17

      …the Domain-Specific Languages Developers Conference, which runs from Thursday, April 16th through Friday April 17th in the same room, Building 99, Room 1919 of the Microsoft Corporate Headquarters. Here’s a quick description of the conference:

      The goal of the DSL Developer’s Conference is to cut away all the unessential conference baggage and concentrate on why we’re spending time at a conference in the first place — the talks by industry experts and experienced practitioners. By doing so, we can keep your wasted time to a minimum. In fact, if you don’t go away with your head hurting from all the new ideas you’ve heard, we’ve haven’t done our job!

      As with the Lang.NET Symposium, DSL DevCon doesn’t cost anything. If you want to attend, just register!

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      Toronto Code Camp: Saturday, April 25th

      Toronto Code Camp logoWhether you’re an old hand at developing for Microsoft’s platforms or completely new to The Ways of The Empire, you’ll find the upcoming Toronto Code Camp to be a great way to get some deep information on .NET development as well as a way to meet some of the most active and engaged members of the local Microsoft developer community. It takes place at the Manulife Building (200 Bloor Street East, on the north side between Church and Jarvis) and runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and registration is free.

      Toronto Code Camp will have 5 tracks in its agenda:

      1. ASP.NET: Covering Active Server Pages technology, which includes Virtual Earth and the new ASP.NET MVC framework, which gives you the goodness of frameworks like Rails and Django and the speed and libraries of .NET. The ASP.NET MVC: Beyond the Basics presentation by Richard Obuhowich is definitely on my own “must-see” list.
      2. Data / Architecture: SQL Server, plus ADO.NET, LINQ and the Microsoft Sync Framework.
      3. .NET Framework: This is a really broad topic, and this year, the sessions will be on building installers with WiX, building extensions to Office and Visual Studio, building SharePoint apps, and a fast introduction to Windows Mobile development by Mark Arteaga that I intend to catch.
      4. Silverlight / WPF: The track for people who want to build rich multimedia interfaces for the web (Silverlight) and Windows (WPF, short for Windows Presentation Foundation). I’m thinking of seeing Robert Burke’s Silverlight from 2 to 3 – or, Silverlight Beyond MIX09 presentation, which is supposed to be PowerPoint-free!
      5. Future / Other: A catch-all track for topics about upcoming developer tools and tech, as well as things that don’t quite fit in the other tracks. There are presentations on the F# programming language (an OCaml-like .NET language), the Azure cloud computing platform, upcoming goodies like the .NET 4.0 framework and VB10 plus a session titled 2D XNA Game Programming for Fun and Profit by Josef Rogosky.

      For more details about all the sessions and when they’ll take place, see the Toronto Code Camp agenda.

      I’m going to be there, attending as both a developer looking to learn as well as a Sith Lord representing the Empire. I’m going to take notes, snap photos and perhaps even shoot a little video; I’m also going to see what I can do about bringing some swag to give away.

      The registrations are coming in fast and furious, so if you want to come, make sure you register now!